The mother of 20-year-old Saksham Tate, who was allegedly murdered last week by his girlfriend's family members in Maharashtra's Nanded, on Wednesday alleged that the accused had told her that he was a "thorn" they wanted to remove from their lives.
She also said that the accused had gifted a rose plant having only thorns to Saksham on his birthday.
Saksham was killed on Thursday evening when a fight erupted between him and his girlfriend Aanchal's brother Himesh Mamidwar when he (Saksham) was standing with his friends in the old Ganj area of Nanded, police have said earlier.
Himesh allegedly fired at Saksham, the bullet piercing his ribs, and then smashed a tile on his head, killing him on the spot. Himesh, his brother Sahil (25) and their father Gajanan Mamidwar (45) were arrested soon afterwards, they said. The murder was prima facie a fallout of caste differences between Saksham and Aanchal.
Talking to reporters, Saksham's mother Sangeeta Tate (40) accused Aanchal's father and her brothers of plotting her son's murder.
"Aanchal's family initially pretended to support her relationship with Saksham. Her father had even lifted Saksham on his shoulders during a festival. But later the mood changed. On Saksham's birthday, when friends brought bouquets, Aanchal's family gifted him a rose plant having only thorns," she said.
"They said the plant symbolised their love. Later, Aanchal's brothers told me that they gave him thorns as they wanted to remove the thorn from their lives. And they did it...they killed my son," she said, demanding stringent punishment for the accused.
Saksham's girlfriend Aanchal has earlier alleged that on the day of the murder, her brother Himesh took her to Itwara police station in Nanded in the morning and asked her to file a complaint against her boyfriend, but she refused to do so.
After his murder, Aanchal married his corpse, claiming it would make their love "immortal".
Meanwhile, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar strongly condemned the killing and praised Aanchal for her courage.
In a social media post, he wrote that Saksham, a young Buddhist man, was brutally murdered out of caste hatred by the girl's family. But Aanchal's bold stand deserved full support, he added.
"After Saksham's murder, the girl demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and declared she would marry him even in death. Her courage is extraordinary. We stand firmly with her and with Saksham's family," Ambedkar said.
Republican Sena chief Anandraj Ambedkar said the incident was a wound that no words can heal.
"A young man's dream, life and entire family were destroyed in moments. Aanchal's decision to marry his body reflects not only her love but her refusal to bow before injustice," he said, assuring continued support until justice is delivered.
On Wednesday, VBA leader Anjali Ambedkar visited the grieving Tate family in Nanded, spoke to Aanchal, and promised her support.
Saksham always dreamt of seeing Aanchal become an officer, she said.
"To honour Saksham's dream, the VBA will take full responsibility for Aanchal's education," she assured.
"Live wherever you feel safe, we will arrange everything," Ambedkar told Aanchal.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
