A pregnant Muslim woman was reportedly set on fire by her own family in India, after she fell in love with and got married to a Dalit man (a member of India’s lowest caste).

In a ‘honour’ killing type of brutal justice, the girl’s family members stabbed her, even though she was pregnant, then set her ablaze.

India Today reports the girl, 21 year old Banu Begum, died as a result of the abuse.

Read India Today report below….

The incident took place in a village called Gundanakala in the Bijapur district. Banu begum (21) was in love with Sayabanna Sharnappa Konnur (24) a young man from the same village. There was stiff resistance from the families when they heard about their relationship in January this year…[therefore] the couple decided to elope and get married.

On June 3, the couple returned to the village and Banu was pregnant. The couple thought that the families would forgive and compromise with them. However, both the families were unwilling to change their stand soon got into a fight. Sayabanna was brutally assaulted by the girl’s family.

Moments later, Sayabanna escaped and rushed to the nearest Talikote police station to seek help. It took the police nearly ten minutes to reach the location, but when they reached Banu’s house the girl’s family allegedly had stabbed her multiple times and  set her on fire. While Sayabanna begged people to help him save his wife, it is believed that the neighbours went inside their homes and locked themselves up.

Four members including Banu’s mother, her sister, brother and brother in law have been arrested. The police are on the lookout for two other sisters of Banu who are absconding.