Family kills girl for eloping with 'brother' | For honour

KILLED FOR HONOUR: In a chilling confession, a family says they strangled their daughter and her lover (above).

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Karnal: Roshni Devi has confessed that she and her family plotted the murder of their own daughter and she claims that she is happy they did it.

In a chilling confession, the mother says that she and her family strangled her six-month pregnant daughter, Sunita, and her lover Jasdev to death on Friday.

Their fault — they fell in love with each other despite being from the same village, a sin in Jat territory where people from the same village are considered siblings.

Even as Sunita's mother feels no remorse, Jasdev's mother Saroj is shattered.

"It's a wrong thing. He hadn't done anything," she cries.

Jasdev, the only son among five sisters was in love with Sunita since childhood but a feudal kinship custom did not allow them to get married. They secretly continued their affair even after Sunita was married off two years ago.

Last year Sunita and Jasdev eloped and started living together till Sunita's family discovered their hideout and decided to put an end to what they considered an act of shame.

However, the people Karnal agree with what Roshni Devi has done. They say such things are a custom and if they did not obey customs then there would be no difference between them and wild animals.

Regardless of the increasing prosperity in the belt, orthodox and backward customs are strongly preserved in the heart of Haryana's badlands.

However, instead of the life of a youth being wasted and turned to ashes, what needs to be burnt are the feudal customs and norms that are still being practiced in the areas in the name of tradition.