Dalit man murdered for 'honour' cremated in Telangana

A Dalit man who was hacked to death in a case of honour killing on Friday in Telangana's Miryalguda town was cremated on Sunday.

A large number of people, including leaders of Dalit organisations, attended the funeral of Pranay Kumar, who was brutally murdered by his father-in-law, who belonged to another caste.

Pranay's wife Amrutha Varshini, his parents and other family members participated in the funeral held at a church in Miryalguda in Nalgonda district, about 150 km from Hyderabad.

The funeral procession began after Pranay's brother arrived from Ukraine.

The 23-year-old man was hacked to death by a hired killer when he was coming out of hospital with Amrutha after a regular pregnancy check-up.

The couple had married six months ago despite strong opposition from Amrutha's parents.

The murder has evoked public outrage. The town on Saturday observed shutdown on a call by Dalit groups.

Telangana's IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday condemned Pranay's murder. He said the murder came as a rude shock. "Dismayed and anguished on how deep rooted casteism is," he tweeted.

Rama Rao, who is son of Chief Minister K. Chandrahekhar Rao, promised that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be punished.

Police have arrested Amrutha's father Maruthi Rao, his brother Shravan Kumar and three others in the sensational case. Police said they were still on the lookout for the killer.

Maruthi Rao allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to the hired killer. He reportedly told police that 'honour' is more important for him than his daughter.

Calling her father a devil, Amrutha vowed never to go back to him. She said she would live with Pranay's parents.

--IANS

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