Mahankali Anil was killed outside the temple he was marrying his bride at in Thimmapur, central India

A teenage bride watched in horror as her parents and relatives dragged the man she was marrying out of their wedding ceremony, slit his throat and crushed his head with a boulder.

Victim Mahankali Anil, 22, was killed in front of 18-year-old Hastapuram Mounika.

The couple had run away together, but her family rushed after them to confront Anil at the Hindu temple in Thimmapur, central India.

Water worker Anil had been dating Hastapuram for a year, but her parents had tried to keep the couple apart.

An earlier elopement had failed when her parents told police and priests their daughter was under 18 and a minor.

Hastapuram, who has since turned 18, had been sent away to study so she would not see Anil.

But when she returned, they restarted their romance and decided to run away again, reports local media.

When her parents realised she was about to wed Anil at the local Hindu temple, they rushed there to confront him.

The Sakshi Post reports that Anil had previously been reported for kidnapping Hastapuram, and the couple had sought police protection ahead of their nuptials.

Local Police Commissioner VB Kamalasan Reddy said: 'A number of suspects have been arrested.'