In a suspected case of honour killing because of an inter-caste marriage, three members of a Dalit family were shot dead and two injured in ward no. 9 of Kharkhoda in Sonepat district of Haryana on Friday night.

In the firing incident, which took place around 10.15 pm on Friday, Pradeep (27), his father Suresh Kumar (60) and mother Sunita (40) were killed. Pradeep’s pregnant wife Sushila and brother Suraj sustained bullet injuries in the waist and shoulder, respectively. They have been admitted to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) at Rohtak and are said to be out of danger.

Watch What Else Is Making News

SHO of police station Kharkhoda, Inspector Rajpal, said, “We suspect it’s an honour killing case since the girl is from a Jat family while the boy is from Dhanak (scheduled caste) family. They got married around three years back and girl’s family was against it.”

The SHO said a case had been registered for murder, attempt to murder and under the Arms Act as well as SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Investigation is on and the police are trying to arrest the suspects.

According to the officer, around 10.15 pm on Friday, Sushila’s elder brother Manu, a resident of Birdhana village in Jhajjar district who already faces 16-17 criminal cases, came to Kharkhoda in a Duster car. As soon as the family members opened the door, he started firing upon them and fled.

Sushila, who was nine months pregnant and sustained bullet injury in her waist, gave birth to a baby boy at PGIMS. Her husband and mother-in-law died on the spot while her father-in-law succumbed to injuries after reaching the hospital.

The bodies were handed over to the family members after autopsy and cremated Saturday evening, said the police.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.