Man in Uttar Pradesh shoots wife for not preparing dinner

A man in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, shot his wife dead because she refused to serve him dinner last Saturday night, reported the Times of India.

The 55-year-old victim, Sunaina, was rushed to the Sarvodaya Hospital in Kavi Nagar with a gunshot wound to her head.  However, doctors at the hospital declared her dead on arrival.

Rinku, 32, the couple's eldest son told Times of India that his 60-year-old father Ashok Kumar returned home drunk and asked his wife for dinner at around 11pm. A quarrel broke out when his mother refused to serve dinner immediately.

"Infuriated over the delay, my father whipped out a gun and threatened her. I, my wife and my younger brother tried to intervene," Rinku said.

"But he opened fire and the bullet hit my mother on her head. She collapsed on the spot."

Police told Times of India that the accused was taken into custody and later arrested. "He has confessed to the crime," said local police, who added that the gun used is illegal and that they were trying to ascertain the source of it.

BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi says such violence is not unique to India - it occurs around the world - but what sets it apart in India from many other countries is the culture of silence and approval that often surrounds it.

"Honour killings" are also commonplace in India, where young couples are punished for "bringing shame" to the family. Honour killings saw a spike last year to 284 cases from just 28 in 2014, according to Al Jazeera. This is an alarming 800 per cent rise. The highest number of killings happen to occur in Uttar Pradesh.

akosasi@sph.com.sg