21-year-old woman killed by father and uncle over job, short hair

By Sumesh Rajan | September 2, 2026

Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, INDIA: A 21-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her father and uncle in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district after they objected to her working outside the state, keeping short hair and bringing a male colleague home whom she described as her “rakhi brother”, police said.

The incident took place on Monday, August 31, at Pathariyapura village in the Dabra area. The deceased has been identified as Nandini Yadav, who was working in Vijayapura, Karnataka.

Police have arrested her father, Bhagwan Singh Yadav, in connection with the killing, while her uncle, Santosh Singh Yadav, is absconding. A search has been launched to trace him.

According to police, Nandini Yadav had returned home around Raksha Bandhan accompanied by a male colleague from Karnataka, whom she introduced to her family as her “rakhi brother”. Police accounts identified the colleague variously as Mahendra Pandey and Jagmohan Singh, and investigators are seeking to record his statement to establish the sequence of events.

Police said Nandini’s decision to work away from home had already caused friction within the family. Her father and uncle allegedly disapproved of her employment outside Madhya Pradesh and also objected to her appearance, including her short hair.

Tensions reportedly escalated after she returned home with the male colleague.

Dabra Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Saurabh Kumar said that on Monday, an argument broke out at the house over Nandini’s choices and the presence of the man.

During the altercation, the accused allegedly assaulted Nandini’s 17-year-old younger sister, who was planning to go out with her. When their mother intervened, the situation escalated further. The younger girl allegedly suffered injuries to her face and neck.

Police said the male colleague was also attacked but managed to escape from the house.

The father and uncle then allegedly turned on Nandini. According to the preliminary police account, she was assaulted with a stick, her head was allegedly smashed against a wall, and she was strangled.

Police are investigating reports that the accused also attempted to hang Nandini and attack her younger sister.

The victim’s mother, Suman Yadav, told police that she and Bhagwan Singh had been separated for around eight years and that she had been staying at her parental home in Dholpur.

According to her account, Nandini and her younger sister had gone to their father’s house. When they did not return for a long time, she went looking for them and found her daughters in distress. Police were subsequently alerted.

In another account given by police, neighbours heard screams and commotion from the house and informed the authorities. The mother and younger daughter were allegedly confined inside a room during part of the incident.

Personnel from Pichhore police station reached the spot and took Nandini and her injured sister to a hospital in Dabra, where doctors declared Nandini dead.

Police said the father and uncle had fled after the incident. Bhagwan Singh was subsequently traced and arrested, while Santosh remains at large.

Investigators suspect that objections to Nandini’s lifestyle, employment outside the state and association with the male colleague were behind the killing. Police said villagers had also told investigators that tensions had existed within the family for some time.

An FIR has been registered on charges including murder and voluntarily causing hurt.

Pichhore police station in-charge Shivam Singh Rajawat said teams were searching for the absconding uncle. Police are also trying to locate the male colleague to record his statement and clarify the circumstances leading to the killing.

Further investigation is underway.