Woman killed in domestic dispute in India's Haryana state

Husband strangled wife for refusing to sleep with him

A woman was killed in the northern Indian state of Haryana in a domestic dispute.

Saman was allegedly strangled to death by her husband Sanjiv Kumar on November 14. The couple, married for more than a decade, had been estranged for a while with the wife refusing to sleep with her husband. The murder took place at their home in Haryana's Jogna Khera village, where the couple lived with their two children.

Police official Ramesh Jaglan told the BBC that the suspect had confessed to the murder after he was arrested.

"She had been refusing sex for a while. On Tuesday, she refused again, which irritated him and he strangled her. We have arrested him," said Jaglan.

In India, domestic violence is the most reported violent crime against women with one case being reported to the police every five minutes. Activists argue that the real numbers are even higher.

Despite passing a law protecting women in 2005, it has failed to serve its purpose as cases registered under the law are not treated as criminal offences.

Geeta Panday, from BBC in Delhi, said domestic violence is rooted in patriarchy - women in India are considered inferior to men. While abuse of women is widely condoned, violence against them is frequently justified.

This article originally appeared in the BBC.