A chilling case from Maharashtra’s Nanded district has sparked nationwide outrage after a 21-year-old woman, Aanchal Mamidwar, performed wedding rituals on the dead body of her boyfriend, hours after he was allegedly murdered by her family over caste differences.
According to police, Aanchal and 20-year-old Saksham Tate had been in a relationship for three years, but her family consistently opposed it because Saksham belonged to a Scheduled Caste. Investigators say her father and brothers had repeatedly threatened the young man, and tensions escalated on November 27.
#WATCH | Nanded, Maharashtra | A woman, Anchal, applied vermillion on her head with the blood of her boyfriend, Saksham Tate, who was allegedly killed by her father and brother.
Anchal says, "We were together for three years. My family got to know about it. Because he was a… pic.twitter.com/PKGqgw3PwN
— ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2025
That evening, Saksham was standing with friends in Nanded’s Old Ganj area when an argument broke out with Aanchal’s brother, Himesh Mamidwar. Police allege Himesh shot Saksham in the chest and then struck his head with a tile or stone, killing him on the spot. Five people — including Aanchal’s father, mother and two brothers — have been arrested, while a minor has been placed in an observation home.
In a heart-rending scene that went viral, Aanchal arrived at Saksham’s home before the cremation and applied vermillion to her forehead using his blood, declaring she had “married him one last time.” She also vowed she would live with the Tate family as their daughter-in-law and demanded the strictest punishment for her own family, saying, “My family killed him… I married him to make our love immortal.”
Police are now investigating all aspects of the killing, including Aanchal’s allegation that officers at a local station encouraged her brother to “kill” Saksham rather than file a false complaint.
