Kin against them, interfaith couple found dead on Jamtara tracks

They have been identified as Rocky Mandal, 20, and Nazia Khatoon, 17, both residents of the Ringochingo village under the Karmatand police station.

The recovery of the bodies of an interfaith couple on the railway tracks between Vidyasagar and Madankata stations in Jharkhand’s Jamtara district a couple of days ago has triggered a police investigation.

They have been identified as Rocky Mandal, 20, and Nazia Khatoon, 17, both residents of the Ringochingo village under the Karmatand police station.

The Times of India quoted Karmatand police station officer in charge, Alakh Nath Chaubey, as saying that they found a motorcycle parked near a newly constructed water tank close to the tracks. “The owner was traced through the registration number, which helped us contact the families and establish the identities.”

The mobile phones of the deceased were recovered from the site.

A case had been registered as an unnatural death. The post-mortem examination has been done, and the bodies have been handed over to their families.

Chaubey said the couple had left their homes on Friday evening to visit a fair. They visited a temple and later, a video surfaced on Instagram which purportedly showed the couple requesting the villagers not to separate them.

“Main gaonwalon ko abhi bol raha hoon ki yah bandhan kabhi alag mat karna. Hum logon ko jahan bhi dafnana ho ya kuch bhi karna ho, ek saath karna (I’m asking villagers not to break this bond of ours. Wherever you bury us or whatever you do, do it together),” the message said.

Married before death?

Chaubey also said that the young man had apparently applied vermilion on the girl’s forehead, according to a social media photo.

Meanwhile, The Indian Express quoted a villager as saying that the couple’s families were against their relationship. Two years ago, both the religious communities held a meeting and agreed that the two of them should marry. But their families did not agree.

“The villagers asked the families to ensure that the two stopped communicating with each other,” he said. Nazia was allegedly married to another man the following year. No case had been registered so far over the minor’s marriage a year ago, officers said.