In the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh, a middle-aged Muslim parents have reportedly been fatally assaulted on Friday. The incident appears to stem from the elopement of the couple’s son with a girl from a different community within the same village. It is alleged that the family members of the girl carried out the attack.

Law enforcement has apprehended the girl’s brother, brother-in-law, and a close family acquaintance thus far. Authorities are actively seeking the girl’s parents for questioning. The five individuals involved are facing charges including rioting, murder, and assault. The police have taken measures to ensure the safety of the interfaith couple and have chosen not to disclose their current whereabouts. The couple left the village a day before the attack on the young man’s parents occurred.

According to the authorities, a longstanding feud between the two families was initiated when the grown son of the now-deceased couple eloped with a girl in 2020. During that period, the girl was a minor, and the man faced legal charges including kidnapping, rape, and violations under the Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. Subsequently, after the girl reached the age of 18, they eloped once more, and during this instance, she testified in court that she had willingly left with her partner.

What does the police say?

Addressing the situation, Chakresh Mishra, the Superintendent of Police in Sitapur, commented, “We got information that there was a fight between the two sides and two people died. The police reached the spot and found that Muslim parents aged around 50 years had been killed. Their neighbours told us that another family in the neighbourhood attacked the couple with iron rods. The couple died on the spot. We are getting the post-mortem done. A police force has been deployed in the village.”

Providing information about the incident, a law enforcement official gave a statement. “The son, 28, of the deceased couple, was booked in 2020 for eloping with a minor girl. The case was lodged after a complaint was received from the girl’s family. He was subsequently arrested and spent 13 months in jail. A few months ago, the girl turned 18 and became an adult and the two again ran away. In another lodged case, the girl gave a statement in court in favor of her partner. The man was arrested again around two months ago in connection with a separate case. He was released on bail just a few days back.”