19-yr-old MP woman burnt alive by father for choosing to marry outside caste

Khandwa: A 19-year-old woman who was leaving her home to marry a man outside her caste was allegedly burnt to death by her father in a Madhya Pradesh village on Friday morning, in what appears to be a suspected case of honour killing, police said.

The incident took place in Chainpur Sarkar village in Khandwa district, around 250 km from Bhopal. Laxmi Bai's father, Sundar Lal Yadav, 52, has been arrested and his brother, Rajendra Yadav, 28, detained, a police official said.

Initial inquiry revealed that the family members opposed her decision to marry a man who belonged to another caste. However, she remained adamant and this apparently enraged her family members, police said.

When the woman was leaving her home at around 7.30 am, her father stopped her and allegedly set her on fire by pouring kerosene over her. The girl died on the spot, police said.

Neighbours rushed to the spot after hearing screams of the woman and informed the police. The body has been sent for post-mortem and further investigations are underway, he added.