Global InformationMurder of Surjit Athwal information
Surjit Kaur Athwal | |
|---|---|
 Surjit Athwal | |
| Born | 17 July 1971 Coventry, England |
| Died | December 1998 (aged 27) Punjab, India |
| Occupation | Customs agent at London Heathrow Airport |
| Known for | Being the victim of an honour killing in India |
Surjit Kaur Athwal (17 July 1971 – December 1998)[1] was a British-Indian woman murdered in an honour killing in India. She was 27 years old at the time of her death, and had two children, aged 7 and 9 months.[2]
Her murder was instigated by her mother-in-law, 70-year-old Bachan Kaur Athwal, in collusion with Surjit's husband, Sukhdave Singh Athwal. Surjit had started divorce proceedings against her abusive husband. A divorce would bring shame onto the Athwals, so Bachan Kaur lured Surjit to India, leading her to believe that if she attended two weddings in Punjab, the family would consent to a divorce. Instead, she was killed there and her body has never been found.
This case marked the first conviction, in a British court, of an honour killing committed outside of the UK.[3]
- ^ "Athwal/Athwal:: Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) Judgment". www.casemine.com. 7 May 2009.
- ^ Singh, Manpreet K (2018-08-24). "'It's decided, we must kill her'". SBS Punjabi.
- ^ Eccleston, Ben (2018-04-11). "Surjit Athwal's family make fresh calls for public inquiry". Coventry Telegraph.