A 22-year-old woman was on Thursday stabbed to death by her father, a day ahead of her wedding, in Areekode in Malappuram district, police said.
Athira, a resident of Poovathikandi in the district, was scheduled to wed her boyfriend on Friday. Areekode police have detained her father Rajan.
The incident happened at about 5 pm. Preliminary reports said Rajan was against the wedding but had given his consent following intervention by his relatives. In the evening, Rajan had an argument with Athira over the wedding and he assaulted her with a knife he was carrying. Athira escaped to a neighbour's home but Rajan chased her and stabbed her, reports quoting witnesses said. She sustained serious injuries and was shifted to a hospital where she was declared dead.
According to the police, Rajan had objected to the wedding since the groom -- a resident of Koyilandy in Kozhikode district -- belonged to a backward caste. Athira is learnt to have been in a relationship with him for many years. A police official in Areekode said Rajan was drunk at the time of the incident. "Rajan had opposed their relationship from the beginning but the wedding was finalised after talks between relatives of the boy and the girl," the official told DH.