Honour killing in Karnataka: 17-year-old Netravati strangled by her relatives

Netravati
age: 17
strangled: June 10, 2023
Residence: Tumakuru district in Karnataka
Origin: India
Children: none
Perpetrators: father, brother, uncle

Netravati, a 17-year-old girl from Tumakuru district in Karnataka, India, had a love affair with Kumar, a young man belonging to the Dalit community. This intercaste relationship caused intense anger and disapproval within Netravati's family.

The conflict escalated when Netravati chose to run away from home in an attempt to be with Kumar. However, she was tracked down by her family and returned home on June 9, 2023. Upon her return, she was denied access to the house and had to spend the night in a cow shelter.

On June 10, 2023, Netravati was forced by her father Parashurama, brother Shivaraju and uncle Tukaram to drink poison after refusing to end her relationship with Kumar. When Netravati resisted violently, she was eventually strangled with a rope.

After the murder, the family claimed that Netravati had died as a result of poisoning. Hastily she was cremated by her family on their own property, without the intervention of the authorities.

Villagers informed the police that they believed it was murder. After a thorough investigation, police changed the case from suicide to murder. Preliminary forensic evidence and testimony from family members who knew about the murder plot point to Parashurama, Shivaraju and Tukaram as the suspected perpetrators.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.