Woman Sarpanch Hacked to Death by Brother for Performing Mother's Last Rites

Raipur:

On Tuesday, Geeta Verma, the head of a village in Chhattisgarh, performed the funeral of her mother, boldly defying tradition to fulfill a last wish.

Two days later, the 44-year-old Sarpanch was hacked to death by her brother.

Santosh Verma took an axe to his sister, furious that she had usurped his role in performing their mother's last rites.

"It was my job to perform the last rites of my mother, how could she do it? I have no regrets," Santosh, completely unrepentant, told reporters.

Geeta, her older sister Sita and some other women relatives were walking to a village pond for post-cremation rituals when they were attacked by Santosh and his son Piyush, 25.

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Geeta died instantly; her sister Sita was wounded while trying to save her.

The attackers were caught by villagers and handed over to the police.

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Years ago, Santosh had reportedly abandoned his 85-year-old mother, who then came to live with Geeta.

"On 31st March she died and Geeta performed her last rites, which was unacceptable to Santosh and so he killed her," said a police officer, CD Tandon.

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The incident, which took place in a village just 40 km from state capital Raipur, reflects a mindset that does not recognize women as equals, said former IPS officer Kiran Bedi.

"It is a mentality where the girl is not given the rights of boys. We need a whole revolutionary form of education which is not visible in our society," said Ms Bedi, who joined the BJP earlier this year.