In a suspected case of honour killing, a pregnant woman was allegedly killed by her own father in Karnataka’s Hubballi district, police officials said. The incident is believed to have been triggered by the woman’s inter-caste marriage, which her family had strongly opposed from the beginning.

The victim has been identified as Manya Patil. According to the police, the incident took place on Sunday evening in Inam Veerapura village. Manya’s father allegedly attacked her with an iron rod after confronting her over her marriage. When her in-laws tried to stop the attack and protect her, they were also assaulted by the accused.

Manya was seriously injured in the attack and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Despite doctors’ efforts, she succumbed to her injuries later that night. Police confirmed that Manya was pregnant at the time of the attack, making the incident even more tragic.

Another woman, identified as Manya’s mother-in-law, was also injured during the assault and is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. Dharwad Superintendent of Police Gunjan Arya said that hospital authorities are closely monitoring her condition and will be able to provide more details about her recovery.

Police revealed that Manya and her husband had earlier approached authorities seeking protection after receiving repeated threats from her family due to their inter-caste marriage. Following these complaints, the couple had stayed away from the village for some time. They reportedly returned only a few days ago after a compromise was reached with the help of local administration and elders.

However, the situation escalated once again, leading to the deadly attack. Investigators believe that deep-rooted opposition to the marriage and family pressure played a major role in the crime.

The Hubballi Rural Police have arrested three people in connection with the case, including Manya’s father. Officials said that close relatives were involved in planning and carrying out the attack. A special investigation team has been formed to probe the case further and identify the exact sequence of events.

Police have registered the case as a clear instance of honour killing linked to opposition to an inter-caste marriage. The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of couples who marry against social norms and the continued occurrence of honour-related violence in parts of the country.