Mahakpreet Kaur (20) murdered by her family after a love marriage in Punjab, India

Mahakpreet Kaur
Age: 20
stabbed to death: July 21, 2026
Residence: Bhai Rupa, Punjab
Origin: India
Children: -
Perpetrators: family

Mahakpreet Kaur (20), from the village of Burj Harika in Faridkot district, Punjab, India, was murdered on 21 July 2026 near Dhilwan Kalan in what is believed to be an honour killing. She had been in a relationship with Jagdeep Singh, a mobile repair mechanic from the same village, for five to six years. On 4 May 2026, the couple married in a Sikh temple in a love marriage without their families’ approval. Because their families opposed the union, they filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking police protection. The petition was still pending at the time of the murder. After the wedding, they lived in Bhai Rupa in Bathinda district to stay away from their families.

On 21 July 2026, Mahakpreet’s mother, Simranjit Kaur, and her brother Gurpreet Singh lured the couple under false pretences to a Sikh temple for a supposed joint family visit. When the couple arrived on a motorcycle, her father Vakil Singh and other relatives were already waiting at a crossroads along the Amritsar-Bathinda National Highway (NH-54). The family members declared that they would not let the couple leave. As Mahakpreet and Jagdeep tried to flee, their motorcycle fell. They continued on foot towards the fields. Mahakpreet became entangled in a fence and fell. Her father then stabbed her multiple times (five to six times) in the abdomen, killing her on the spot. Jagdeep Singh managed to escape and hid in the fields. Mahakpreet’s body was later found in a field along the highway near Kotkapura.

The Kotkapura Sadar police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under relevant sections for murder. Five suspects were arrested, including her father Vakil Singh, Gurpreet Singh alias Gora, Sukhchain Singh, Sukha Singh alias Golu, and Dilbag Singh. The case is being investigated as an honour killing, as Mahakpreet had chosen her own partner against her family’s wishes. This case once again highlights the extreme violence that some women in certain communities in Punjab face when they make independent choices about marriage, even when seeking legal protection.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.