NEW DELHI: Runaway couple Vinay Dahiya and Kiran Dahiya, of Gopalpur village in Haryana, were attacked in their rented home in Amberhai village in Dwarka, on Thursday night.
Vinay, 23, died on the spot and Kiran,19, is battling for life in hospital.
On Friday, police said Kiran’s kin, including her brother and cousin, had rained bullets on the pair for having defied gotra traditions and married against the family’s wishes.
The girl’s father and uncle were taken into custody for questioning.
Probes revealed the uncle was bitterly opposed to his niece’s marriage, leading them to seek protection from Punjab and Haryana HC last year.
Girl was a major at time of marriage, HC had cancelled case against boyKiran told police that her elder brother, Aman, cousin Vicky and some other men from Gopalpur village were among the group of six armed attackers.
She also named some other persons and the cops are verifying this.
So far, police said, it was unclear if her uncle had been present during the incident.
On Friday when TOI visited the Dahiyas’ rented accommodation, landlady Jyoti said, “The two shifted here on June 20 last year after we gave them the house on rent for Rs 2,000 a month.
Around 8.30pm on Thursday, Vinay had gone to buy cold drinks and bread from the store nearby.
Fifteen minutes later, we heard loud sounds and screams coming from their house.
I initially thought it was a cylinder blast, but I realised these were gunshots.
The men chased Vinay, who ran screaming, “Meri biwi ko bachao!” We were frightened and shut ourselves in.” In the CCTV footage of the incident, Vinay can be seen being chased by at least four men.
He knocks on some doors for help, but the doors do not open.
As he tries to escape, Vinay is shot and collapses opposite a grocery store.
He is later found dead with four bullet wounds.
Kiran walked up two floors after being shot thrice.
She jumped to the adjacent building and called for help.
Basanti, a resident of the ground floor of that building, told TOI, “She was drenched in blood and said, ‘Bacha lo.’ I was shivering with fear because I had never seen such a sight in my life.
In panic, I rang the doorbells of the other residents.
One man came down from the second floor and helped take her to the hospital.
The police had arrived by then.” The girl’s father and uncle have been brought to Delhi from Gopalpur village in Sonipat district for interrogation.
Santosh Meena, DCP (Dwarka), said, “We are questioning the family members and have also identified the suspects.
Various investigative teams are working on the case.
Haryana Police had been instructed by Punjab and Haryana High Court to give the couple protection.” The couple had eloped in August 2020 as their families were against their relationship, both being of the same Dahiya gotra and residents of the same village — an absolute taboo for matrimony in Haryana.
Gopalpur village is dominated by the Dahiya community and marrying within the clan is prohibited, a panchayat member toldTOI.
Apparently, a panchayat was also held when it was learnt that Vinay and Kiran wanted to marry.
As per custom, when the couple couldn’t be dissuaded, the village cut off all relations with them and barred them from the village.
The couple got married with the help of an NGO at a temple in Panchkula’s Mansa Devi Complex on August 13, 2020, as per court records.
Threatened by her family, Kiran filed a plea in Punjab and Haryana High Court a day later, seeking protection.
Kiran alleged in her petition that the Sonipat police had colluded with her family and harassed them, naming in particular her mother, Shila Devi, father Jai Bhagwan, brother Aman and seven relatives, Mahabir, Vicky, Mukesh, Sandeep, Shribhagwan, Sunny and Himanshu.
Justice Rajmohan Singh ordered the Sonipat SP to ascertain the threat to the couple and take suitable action within a month.
However, according to advocate Abhimanyu Kalsy, who represented the couple in the high court, police did not provide adequate security but registered an FIR against Vinay.
Kiran’s mother also lodged a complaint in Kharkhoda police station that Vinay had kidnapped her daughter, leading police to register a case for kidnapping a minor girl under sections 363 and 366A of the Indian Penal Code.
Vinay approached the high court to seek the quashing of the FIR registered against him, arguing that Kiran, born on May 22, 2002, was a major at the time of their marriage.
Responding to Vinay’s petition, sub-inspector Sri Niwas of Sonipat police told the high court on October14 that a case cancellation report had been prepared.
On Friday, Sonipat SSP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa told TOI that the high court had issued two directions: cancellation of the case registered against Vinay and police protection for the couple.
“We cancelled the case after the production of age proof.
The families declared they had severed ties with Vinay and Kiran and the couple could live elsewhere.
That is when they moved to Delhi,” said Randhawa.
Vinay’s family later accepted their son’s marriage.
(with inputs from Ajay Sura & Sat Singh)