The recent Marriage Laws (amendment) Bill, which received the Union Cabinet’s nod, may be aimed at helping women as it gives them a share in the husband’s property after divorce, however, it has led to the murder of a woman in the city. What’s tragic is that the offender saw the news scrolling on TV shortly before the murder. The easing of divorce norms for women and the legal right of the woman over the property of her husband disturbed him.
Though that’s not the sole reason for the murder, it certainly had a hand in A. Ravi Shankar Goud, 34, brutally murdering his wife and her brother in Kacheguda a few days ago, according to East Zone DCP Y. Gangadhar. As their marriage was on the verge of breakdown and divorce meant giving her a share in property, the local BJP leader killed his wife instead, say cops.
Ravi Shankar, who had been absconding since the murders on Saturday evening, was nabbed by a police team at the Imblibun bus stand. A resident of Metherbasti in Kacheguda, he married Renuka, 22, from the Adibatla village of Ibrahimpatnam in 2010 and had a daughter in 2011. However, differences cropped up between the couple. Ravi Shankar had burn marks over the entire left portion of his body from shoulder to abdomen. He had sustained these burns in a childhood accident. However, because of the scars, his wife reportedly refused to cooperate with him in marital life.
The efforts of elders from both sides couldn’t reconcile them. The police too counselled the couple but the situation remained the same. On the evening of March 24, she was getting ready to go to her parents’ house to celebrate the first birthday of her daughter. Ravi Shankar objected to this and in the heat of the moment, he slapped her following which she called up her father Rajkumar who in turn sent his son Hari Kumar, 20, to his daughter. Hari Kumar tried to cool down tempers. However, the couple sent Hari Kumar out to get Amruthanjan and resumed the argument.
Police said that before Hari Kumar could return, Ravi Shankar killed his wife by stabbing her in the abdomen, chest and neck. Enraged at seeing his sister dead, Hari Kumar caught Ravi Shankar by the collar. But the accused overpowered him and stabbed him to death with the same knife. When Renuka’s parents turned up, he was trying to set himself afire. However, he managed to escape. Police recovered the knife and blood stained clothes from his possession.