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3 min readThiruvananthapuramJul 9, 2026 09:08 PM IST
The alleged accused, Sadarul Anam, 22, was arrested following the incident. (Credit: Unsplash)
A medical student from Kerala has been accused of killing his classmate — also from the state — in Uzbekistan Friday, with the victim’s family alleging that he had attempted to force her to convert.
The victim has been identified as Sawariya Basanth, 21, a native of Harippad in Alappuzha district. She was a first-year medical student at Bukhara State Medical Institute in Uzbekistan.
The alleged accused, Sadarul Anam, 22, is a native of Pulamanthole in Malappuram district. He was arrested following the incident. Sawariya’s body was flown to Kerala, where a second postmortem was conducted Thursday following a complaint from her family.
The body was cremated Thursday. Back in Kerala, Harippad Police also registered a murder case based on a complaint filed by Sawariya’s father, Basanth, who is employed in Kuwait.
Embassy is extending all assistance to the family of deceased Ms Sawariya Basanth including on the repatriation of her mortal remains. Today, Ambassador met her family member. Embassy is also in constant touch with the concerned authorities in Uzbekistan.
— India in Uzbekistan (@amb_tashkent) July 7, 2026
Harippad SHO V Vishnu said: “We have registered a case under section 103 of BNS. We are yet to get official details of the crime from law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan. The postmortem conducted in Alappuzha medical college has prima facie indications of physical assault. We will examine the legal standing of the case registered in Kerala for the crime recorded in Uzbekistan”.
Basanth’s relative Janeesh told the media that Sadarul had been “forcing Sawariya to convert”.
Physically assaulted, say classmates
“Her classmates had informed us that she was physically assaulted many times. He had been forcing her to get converted, but she resisted it. Her friends are privy to these incidents,” Janeesh said.
Police said the family, in its complaint, had also raised the allegation of an attempted forced conversion.
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In Malappuram, Sadarul’s family confirmed that he was arrested following Sawariya’s death at a hospital. “Sawariya was in a relationship with Sadarul and wanted to marry him. But he was not open to her proposal. Her family in Alappuzha also knows about it. Both were slated to fly back to Kerala on July 9. The tickets were booked from Malappuram for both of them,” a relative said.
“On Friday, there was a dispute between the duo in his hostel room. Sadarul went out of the room for some time and when he returned, she was found unconscious. Sadarul immediately sought medical assistance and took her to the hospital in an ambulance. She died Friday evening after a surgical procedure on head,” the relative said.
He said Sawariya’s family did not approve of her relationship with Sadarul. His family also alleged that her relative had threatened Sadarul’s father, Hydrose, saying his son would be “finished” if he returned to Kerala.
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