Father kills daughter as she tries to save uncle

Kasaragod: Sheikunj (63), the brother-in-law of the accused in the Kunjattur Hill Top murder case, died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment for injuries sustained the previous evening. The incident unfolded on Monday evening during a heated discussion inside the house over property matters. The accused, Umar K.M. (50), reportedly attacked his brother-in-law Sheikunj with a knife out of resentment.

When Umar’s daughter Mariyam Jumaila (18) intervened to protect her uncle, she received fatal stab injuries. Jumaila was rushed to hospital but succumbed to her wounds en route. Umar was immediately taken into custody by Manjeshwar police on Monday itself and was formally arrested and produced before the court on Tuesday.

Sheikunj was the husband of Rahana, sister of the accused Umar’s wife Tahira. A fish merchant by profession, he is survived by his wife Rahana and their children Saifu, Shafeena, and Shuhaib. Jumaila was the only daughter of Umar and Tahira. The entire hill top area has been engulfed in grief since Monday evening.

When the bodies of Jumaila and Sheikunj reached home on Tuesday evening, an immense crowd gathered. Residents from Manjeshwar, across Kasaragod district, and even from neighbouring parts of Karnataka turned up in large numbers to pay their respects. Conversations everywhere centred on the unnatural loss of an innocent young girl who became a victim of a dispute over ancestral property between elders. Jumaila was remembered as a very obedient and pious girl. Having completed her PUC, Jumaila was pursuing computer education in Uppala at the time of the tragedy.