Raipur: On Tuesday, Geeta Verma, the head of a village in Chhattisgarh, performed the last rites of her mother, boldly defying tradition to fulfil a last wish.
Two days later, she was hacked to death by her brother.
The police say Santosh Verma was furious that his sister had dared to do what was he thought was the job of a son.
“It was my right to perform the last rites of my mother, how could she do it? I have no regrets,” Santosh, completely unrepentant, told reporters.
Geeta, her older sister Sita and some other women were walking to a village pond for post-cremation rituals when they were attacked by Santosh and his son Piyush, 25.
Geeta died instantly. Her sister Sita was wounded as she tried to save her.
The attackers were caught by villagers and handed over to the police.
Santosh had reportedly abandoned his 85-year-old mother, who then came to live with Geeta.
“On 31st March she died and Geeta performed her last rites, which was unacceptable to Santosh and so he killed her,” said a police officer, CD Tandon.
The incident, which took place just 40 km from state capital Raipur, reflects a mindset that does not recognize women as equals, said former IPS officer Kiran Bedi.
“It is a mentality where the girl is not given the rights of boys. We need a whole revolutionary form of education which is not visible in our society,” said Ms Bedi, who joined the BJP earlier this year.