Ankit Saxena murder: Delhi govt to take cultural route to spread message against such killings

Days after a 23-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by the family members of a woman with whom he was in a relationship, the Delhi government has directed officials to hold programmes for spreading the message that killing those in love is a sin.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the in-charge of the arts and culture department, said, "Murders in the name of honour killing are disturbing very much." In his communique to the secretary of arts and culture department, Sisodia asked the officials to come up with a plan at the earliest to spread the message that it is a sin to kill people in love. "The events should be anchored in a way so that the message is loud and clear that it is a sin to kill people who are in love," he said.

Sisodia suggested the Sahitya Kala Parishad and other cultural academies of the government to come up with thought- provoking events like ghazal programmes as a tribute to the victims of honour killing. Organising kavi sammelans and mushaira (poetry symposiums) attended by those who have penned heartfelt love songs and poetry, skits and street-plays on the subject of honour killing, were the deputy chief minister's other suggestions. Ankit Saxena, a professional photographer, was killed on Thursday night allegedly by the family members of a woman with whom he was in a relationship for three years. The woman's family opposed her relationship with Ankit as the two belonged to different communities.