Pakistan Defence

From ABC's Karen Russo in India...a story as horrific as any we've heard when it comes to so-called "honor killings." So sad to know these things still happen, in the 21st century...

Eight people have been beheaded in what is believed to be a tragic "Romeo and Juliet" love story. Police in India’s northeastern state of Bihar tell ABC News that a 21-year-old man and an 18-year-old girl secretly eloped last month. This past weekend, police say, members of the girls’ family shot and killed eight members of the boy’s family. The bodies were tossed in a river. The girls’ family is believed to be wealthier than the boys’ -- although some local media report that the families were supporters of rival gangs, which may have led to the killings.

In the past several months, there have been more than a dozen so-called honor killings in India, usually targeting inter-caste couples. In another recent incident, a young boy was beaten, then thrown under a train because he wrote a love letter to a girl of a different caste.

The Indian government condemns these honor killings -- and even offers $1,000 "bonuses" to encourage inter-caste couples to marry.

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