Karnataka Muslim man kills Dalit woman for refusing his marriage proposal, dies by suicide hours later

The police said the victim, who worked as a cook in an Anganwadi school, was walking back to her home after work when Imamsab stabbed her multiple times. (File Photo)

A Muslim man allegedly stabbed a Dalit woman to death on Saturday and then died by suicide hours later in Karnataka’s Uttar Kannada district.

The murder victim has been identified as Ranjitha Bhanasode, 30, a resident of Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district. The accused, Rafique Imamsab, was also a resident of the same district.

The police said Ranjitha Bhanasode, who worked as a cook in an Anganwadi school, was walking back to her home after work when Imamsab stabbed her multiple times before fleeing from the spot. Meanwhile, Imamsab’s body was discovered in a forested area 4-5 km from Yellapur town early Sunday.

According to a police officer, the preliminary investigation has revealed that Imamsab was pressurising Ranjitha Bhanasode to marry him. “They both knew each other from school days. Ranjitha was married to Sachin Katera of Maharashtra 12 years ago and had separated from her husband. Rafique Imamsab was also earlier dating another woman,” he said.

Ranjitha Bhanasode’s elder brother, Veerabhadra Bhanasode, also confirmed that the two knew each other from school days. But he added that they got in contact with each other again around a year ago.

“My sister was a member of a self-help group (SHG). Imamsab had given surety on a loan availed by his then-girlfriend from the SHG. Later, the woman married another person. Ranjitha, as a member of the self-help group, started calling Rafique to share details about his former girlfriend, as she had not repaid the loan amount,” Veerabhadra Bhanasode further said.

The elder brother of the murder victim claimed Imamsab was harassing his sister to marry him for the last two to three months, and he was even ready to convert to Hinduism.

“However, my sister denied his proposal. I was earlier not aware of this development. About 15-20 days ago, I noticed that she was getting calls from unknown numbers, and once I picked up the call, he spoke with me. I warned him, and he apologised to me.

“I also met him and warned him not to trouble my sister. Rafique apologised to me and said that he would never call or talk to her. As he apologised and the issue was closed, I did not inform my family members and left the matter there. But now, he has killed her,” Veerabhadra Bhanasode added.

After the news of Ranjitha Bhanasode’s murder spread on Saturday, Hindu outfits had given a call for a Yellapur bandh, terming the killing as a fallout of ‘Love Jihad’.