"Educated Girls Shouldn't Get Into Live-Ins": Union Minister After Delhi Murder

The horrifying murder of a woman by her live-in partner in Delhi has drawn hugely controversial comments from a union minister. Union Minister Kaushal Kishore's remarks blaming "educated girls" who leave their parents and opt for live-in relationships, has been sharply criticised by Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi, who demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack him.

Contending that live-in relationships lead to crime, Mr Kishor said, "These incidents are happening with all those girls who are well educated and think they are very frank and have the ability to take decisions about their future".

"Why are they living in live-in relationships? If they have to do so, there should be proper registration for live-in relationships. If parents are not willing publicly for such relationships, you should have a court marriage and then live together," he told "News18" while referring to the Shradha Walkar murder case.

"The girls should take care as to why they are doing so. Educated girls are responsible as both the father and mother had refused the relationship. Educated girls should not get into such relationships," he added.

His comments incensed Priyanka Chaturvedi.

"Surprised he didn't say girls are responsible for being born into this nation. Shameless, heartless and cruel, blame-the-woman-for-all problems mentality continues to thrive," the Sena MP tweeted.

"If @PMOIndia really means what he says about women Shakti then he must sack this Union Minister immediately. We the women have had enough of carrying the burden of such patriarchal rubbish in the society," she added in another tweet.

Aftab Poonawala had killed his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar after a domestic spat. He then chopped the body and kept the pieces in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at their home in South Delhi's Mehrauli.

Later, he disposed of the pieces in parts of the capital. Walker's father  was against the inter-faith relationship.