Father From Qureshi Caste Beheads Daughter For Eloping With Man From ‘Lower’ Saifi Caste In UP’s Meerut

A young woman was found decapitated in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district on 12 August.

After a week, it has now been revealed by the police that she was killed by her father for an inter-caste love affair he disapproved of.

As per reports, the woman’s parents, who belong to the Qureshi caste of Muslims, were unhappy that the man she was in a relationship with, belonged to the Saifi caste.

The police case

Headless body of a woman was found on 12 August opposite a burial ground in Lisari gate area.

The same day, the Lisari police filed a first information report (FIR) in the case (number 470/22) under IPC sections 302 and 201. The FIR was filed on the statement of a woman named Bushra, who lives near the spot where the body was found.

On 18 August, police released a press note saying they had arrested the woman’s parents, Mohammed Shahid Qureshi, 38, and his wife Shehnaz, 36, both residents of Lisari Gate, for the murder a day earlier.

The parents were unhappy with their daughter’s boyfriend, the note says. IPC 120B was added in the case after their arrest.

What media reports say

A report published today by Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar says that key accused Shahid told the police that his daughter, Sania, was in a love affair with one Waseem Saifi against his consent.

Seven years ago, Shahid’s family used to live in the same colony as Waseem. Sania and Waseem entered into a relationship.

Despite her family’s wishes, Sania continued the relationship.

“Waseem is from Saifi community while we are from Qureshi community. On top of it, Waseem does not even earn,” Shahid has been quoted as saying in the Bhaskar report.

Some years ago, they eloped from their houses, but were brought back through the decision of a panchayat.

Sania’s family left the colony after facing humiliation from their Qureshi community and shifted to Shalimar Garden area. However, Sania continued to be in touch with Waseem.

Shahid further told the police that he works as a plumber. He has five children, of which Sania is the second. Her elder sister Sana is married. The family was considering marrying her to her aunt’s (bua) son, but Sania was not agreeing.

She threatened her family of suicide if they stopped her from marrying Waseem. This prompted Shahid to make a plan to kill her.

For the murder, he chose a day when no one was at home. Sana is pregnant and was taken to a hospital that day.

Sania was sleeping when Shahid caught hold of her and, using a butcher’s knife kept at home, decapitated her in one swift move. To hide the body pieces, he loaded them on a cycle and went out of the house, the Bhaskar report concludes.

A report by another Hindi daily Hindustan says that before killing her, Shahid stuffed cloth in Sania’s mouth.

As per a report by Amar Ujala, Shahid wanted to bury the body pieces in a kabristan (burial ground). However, he had to flee the spot after he heard footsteps.

The report says that after the murder, Shahid went to a “Jamaat” event. When family members later asked Shahid where Sania was, he told them that he had dropped her at her aunt’s house.

Who are Saifi Muslims?

Saifi Muslims are largely converts from Hindu castes who worked with wood. Most members of the Saifi caste are engaged in carpentry, and thus sometimes called ‘badhai Musalmans’, while others do menial jobs such as fixing cots and machines. They comes under backward castes.

While Qureshis are considered “upper” caste, Saifis are considered lower in status in the community.

Muslims oppose inter-caste marriage the most

As per results from Pew Research Center‘s latest survey in India, opposition to inter-caste marriages is most vehement in the Muslim community.

The survey said that 74 per cent Muslims oppose their women marrying outside caste as opposed to 64 per cent Hindus who do it.

Christians are most supportive, with only 37 per cent opposing their women marrying outside caste, followed by Buddhists (44 per cent), Sikhs (58 per cent) and Jains (61 per cent), the survey said.

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