A sister or daughter doesn’t look bad when they start disgracing her.” Statement of Arish, who shot his sister in Meerut

Meerut. Arish sits in a corner of the police station’s lockup. Everyone who comes in is drawn to him. Looking at Arish’s innocent face, his back against the lockup wall, no one could tell that just a few hours ago, he had killed the sister he dreamed of sending to her husband’s house as a bride. His expressionless face was completely flat. There was neither pain nor sorrow on it. Fear was not even a hint of it. How could this brother have shot his sister with a pistol pointed at her temple? What was his state of mind at the time? Everyone wants to know this, but after the way Arish carried out the incident, no one has the courage to ask him.

Finally, they asked him why he killed his brother and sister? Arish raised his drooping face, looked with heavy eyes, his head slightly hitting the wall, and said, “What could I do? Even moving around had become difficult.” As soon as he left the house, people would see him and start gesturing and elbowing each other. He would cough with a wicked smile, making it difficult to even walk. I was dying every day… Brothers, sisters, and daughters don’t seem bad, but when they start stripping someone of their dignity, they die every moment.

Third Honor Killing Incident

This is the third honor killing in Lohia Nagar in the past month. In two cases, brothers brutally murdered their sisters. In the third, an uncle, along with his step-nephew, brutally murdered their sister and then threw the body away.

In one case, a minor brother strangled his sister, several years older than him, to death with her own dupatta. He had pleaded with her to mend her ways, citing the family’s honor. Even after this, the sister refused to listen. She went away with whoever she wanted, and came back whenever she wanted.

Fed up with the daily taunts, the brother murdered his sister and ended up behind bars. The uncle who murdered his niece had a similar account when he was caught. He said he could no longer tolerate the villagers’ taunts.

Afshan used to talk to someone at night

Sitting in the lockup, Arish says he woke up several times during the night and saw Afshan talking on the phone. He knew who she was talking to. When he was told to go to sleep, he hung up, but when he woke up, he saw her talking. All four brothers were working as laborers to support the family, without a father to support them. Despite explaining these circumstances to Afshan, she remained uncomprehending. Tears welled up during the conversation. Arish, sobbing, said, “Afsha shouldn’t have killed him, but she should have understood. Everyone wanted his best.” Crying, Arish simply said, “Everything is ruined, brother… I don’t know what will happen now.”

Afshan was extremely stubborn and had clearly stated that she would only marry her lover.

Neighbors said that Afshan was extremely stubborn. Although she rarely left the house, she openly protested if she did not like something the family said. She was neither afraid of her mother nor her brothers. When her family objected to her talking on the mobile phone, she clearly stated that she would speak as she pleased.

Family members were convinced that she was only talking to her lover. After daily quarrels, when they discussed her relationship, she continued to protest. When she learned that she had been engaged, she clearly stated that she would not marry under any circumstances and would live with her lover from Hajipur. Afshan and her family had been at odds over this issue for the past three years. Despite her mother and brothers’ persuasion, she remained adamant.

What did we do, why were we arrested?

After Afshan’s murder, Arish surrendered himself to the police. All three brothers fled from the house. Only mother Kasifa was at home. Crying, she was saying that she did not know, she was praying. All three sons were sleeping in the other room. Hearing the gunshot, the sons ran towards the room. There they saw Afshan lying in a pool of blood.

Arish had a pistol in his hand. After cursing Arish, they ran with Afshan to the hospital. When they returned home after her death, Arish was cleaning the blood spread on the floor of the room with water. When he was informed about Afshan’s death, he left the house and reached the police station.