The Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh has once again been shaken by a brutal "dishonour killing," exposing the deadly persistence of social stigma in the Chambal-Gwalior belt. A 21-year-old married woman was allegedly shot dead by her father in a mustard field after she returned to her village, believing she was being called home for reconciliation.
The father later confessed to the killing, telling police he acted because he felt she had brought "dishonour" to the family.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening in Khiria Thapak village, under the jurisdiction of the Mehgaon police station. The victim, Nidhi Dhanuk, had been married just a month ago, on December 11, to Devu Dhanuk, a resident of Gwalior.
According to police, Nidhi went shopping with her husband in Gwalior on December 28. She asked her husband to fetch her some water. When he stepped away, she disappeared. Both families searched for her, but she could not be traced.
Investigations revealed that on Tuesday, Nidhi contacted her father, Munnesh Dhanuk, from an undisclosed location. Her father reportedly assured her that all would be forgiven and urged her to return home.
Trusting him, Nidhi returned to Khiria Thapak. However, instead of taking her home, Munnesh allegedly led her to the outskirts of the village. There, in a mustard field, he allegedly shot her in the chest with a country-made pistol, killing her instantly.
Nidhi's body was found on Wednesday morning after her mother, Pooja, alerted the authorities. The police arrived at the scene, took the body into custody, and sent it for a post-mortem examination.
Munnesh was arrested shortly after. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to the crime, stating he feared social disgrace. "There was a lot of dishonour, so I killed her," he told investigators.
Police have registered a case of murder under Section 103 (formerly Section 302) and other relevant provisions. They are currently working to recover the weapon and investigating if anyone else was involved in the conspiracy. Villagers claimed Nidhi had been in a relationship with a distant relative from the same village, which had caused significant conflict within the family.
