A 21-year-old Dalit woman named Mariamma, from the Madiga community, was allegedly poisoned to death in Vithalapura village of Gangavathi taluk, Karnataka, after her inter-caste marriage. Mariamma’s father has accused 13 members of her husband’s family of being involved in her death.
Mariamma married Hanumayya, a youth from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, in April 2023 after a two-year relationship. However, according to her father, she faced severe harassment, including caste-based discrimination and dowry demands, from her husband’s family after the marriage.
The father alleges that Mariamma was physically assaulted before being poisoned by her in-laws. Initially, the family claimed she had ingested poison while working on the farm and was taken to the hospital, where she later died. Suspecting foul play, Mariamma’s father filed a complaint with the Gangavathi police, leading to the arrest of two individuals for questioning.
The police have registered a case and sent Mariamma’s body for a post-mortem examination at a government hospital. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the exact circumstances of her death.
