The police have neither confirmed nor denied the allegation; they say the matter is under inquiry.
A love story in Nanded turned into a brutal tragedy this week. A 21-year-old woman, Aanchal Mamidwar, lost her boyfriend, Saksham Tate, when he was murdered allegedly by her own family members. The killing reportedly stemmed from caste differences and intense pressure from her family. As the nation reels from the horror, Aanchal has made shocking allegations against the very cops meant to protect her.
Aanchal claims that on the morning of the murder, her brother took her to the local police station, but she refused to file a false complaint against Saksham. She says two policemen then told her brother, “Instead of making false cases, why don’t you actually kill him before coming to us?” These words, she alleges, prompted her brother to shoot Saksham later that evening.
She said she refused to cooperate because she knew it was wrong. The police have neither confirmed nor denied the allegation; they say the matter is under inquiry.
Late on November 27, Saksham was standing with friends in Nanded’s old Ganj–Milindnagar area when a fight erupted. According to police, Aanchal’s brother fired at Saksham, the bullet piercing his ribs, then smashed his head with a heavy tile — killing him instantly. Within hours, police arrested Aanchal’s father, both her brothers, and several associates. Charges include murder, rioting, and atrocities under the SC/ST law.
When Saksham’s body lay ready for funeral rites, Aanchal arrived at the house. In a heartbreaking act of defiance, she applied vermillion on her forehead using his blood and performed symbolic marriage rituals with his corpse. She declared she would stay at his family’s home and demanded the death penalty for her own father and brothers. “Our love has won, even in Saksham’s death; and my father and brothers lost,” she said. She called their killing a cold-blooded act of caste-driven murder.
This incident has stirred outrage and intense debate across the country. The murder appears to be another case of caste-based “honour killing” — a crime that continues to plague many parts of India. But what shocked many is the allegation that local police may have instigated violence rather than prevented it. If true, it exposes deep systemic issues — abuse of authority, bias in law enforcement, and the dangerous intersection of caste prejudice and police complicity.
The accused comes from a family with prior criminal cases, yet the woman claims past offences were routinely “settled” through police influence. This raises serious questions about the connection between criminal networks and policing in rural towns.
For Aanchal, justice is personal. She wants the killers — her own family — hanged. For many others, the case is a moment to demand systemic reform: independent investigations, protection for inter-caste couples, and accountability for biased policing.
