The spine-chilling honour killing that took place last year in the Itwara area of Nanded, Maharashtra, is still fresh in people's minds. On 25 November 2025, 19-year-old Saksham Tate was brutally murdered because of his inter-caste love affair with his girlfriend, Aanchal Mamidwar. It is alleged that the girl's father, Gajanan Mamidwar, and her brothers, Himesh and Sahil, lured Saksham to their home on the pretext of discussing marriage. They first served him tea like a guest, then shot at him and killed him by striking his head with an axe and a stone. The incident sent shockwaves across the whole of Maharashtra.
After this crime, the picture and video that drew the most attention showed Saksham's girlfriend Aanchal weeping uncontrollably. Aanchal performed the wedding rituals with Saksham's lifeless body itself. After his body was brought home, turmeric was applied to both of them, Aanchal filled the parting of her hair with vermilion in Saksham's name, and declared before everyone that she had accepted Saksham as her husband. She said that even though Saksham was no longer alive, their love was still alive. Aanchal had also vowed that she would live in Saksham's home as his daughter-in-law for the rest of her life and take care of his family. Accusing her own father and brothers of Saksham's murder, she had demanded that they be given the death penalty.
The Picture Changed Seven Months After Saksham's Death
But after roughly 6 to 7 months, the situation has turned completely upside down. The same Aanchal who had married Saksham's corpse and sworn to stay at her in-laws' home forever has now left that house. Conditions in Saksham's home have changed so drastically that the entire family has fallen apart. This honour killing case in Nanded utterly destroyed the Tate family.
Saksham's mother, Sangeeta Tate, recently narrated the painful story of her broken home while speaking to a Marathi newspaper. According to Sangeeta, Aanchal was standing with her when Saksham was killed. At that time, Aanchal had told her, "Mummy, now I am your son in Saksham's place. I will stay with you and look after you." After this, Aanchal continued to live with the Tate family for about three and a half months.
Where Did Aanchal Suddenly Go One Day
Sangeeta says that one day Aanchal suddenly said that her grandmother was very unwell and she wanted to go and see her. Aanchal's parental home is only a short distance away, so Sangeeta herself dropped her at her grandmother's house. Aanchal went that day but never returned. Before leaving, she had been in constant touch with her uncle and relatives through social media. Sangeeta says she never placed any restrictions on Aanchal, nor raised any questions about her phone or conversations. But after going to her grandmother's house, Aanchal cut off all ties with the Tate family and has not come back to this day. At present, Sangeeta Tate has no contact with Aanchal.
Saksham's Father Died of Shock
Meanwhile, the condition of Saksham's father also began to deteriorate. Due to the shock of his son's tragic death and constant stress, his blood pressure problem worsened. About 3 months ago, Saksham's father too passed away. Within a single year—first the honour killing of her son, then the departure of Aanchal who had been embraced like a daughter-in-law, and now the death of her husband—all these events have broken Sangeeta Tate from within. She is now left completely alone in the house, and every moment she is tormented by memories of her son Saksham.
This honour killing case in Nanded did not just take the life of a young lover; it pushed an entire family to the brink of ruin. Aanchal, who grabbed headlines across the country by marrying Saksham's corpse and who had once come as a support for the Tate family, has now moved away from their lives. On the other hand, the death of Saksham's father and the worsening condition of his mother Sangeeta have made this story even more heartbreaking. This entire sequence of events once again proved that an honour killing committed in the name of caste and prestige does not just snatch away one life—it lays waste to many lives forever.
