Protests have erupted in the southern Indian state of Karnataka after a 20-year-old pregnant woman was beaten to death for marrying outside her caste. Manya Doddamani, who was six months pregnant, was assaulted on 21 December in Inam Veerapur village and died later that night in hospital. She had married Vivekananda Doddamani earlier this year against the wishes of her family.
Police say Doddamani belonged to the dominant Lingayat community, while her husband is a Dalit, formerly known as "Untouchables", who occupy the lowest rung of Hinduism's caste system. Discrimination against inter-caste marriages is illegal in India, but such relationships can still provoke violent backlashes in conservative areas.
According to investigators, the couple had been living in Haveri district after receiving threats from her family. They returned to their village on 8 December to collect documents for hospital admission, believing her pregnancy might soften opposition. On the evening of the attack, Doddamani's father, Prakashgouda Patil, and other relatives assaulted her with iron pipes. When her mother-in-law and a relative tried to intervene, they were also beaten. Doddamani died from her injuries.
Police have arrested several suspects, including the father, and are investigating further involvement. The couple had previously sought police protection, and a local officer had warned the family not to harass them. However, no formal protection order was put in place, a gap now under scrutiny.
The murder has sparked demands for better safeguards for inter-caste couples, and the state government says it is considering a new law against so-called "honour killings". Dalit organisations have staged protests, demanding fast-track courts and harsher punishment. Activist K P Sripal described the murder as a collective moral failure, saying, "We claim to be a civilised society. But the murder has shown how badly we behave."
