Families should accept live-in relationships, National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma said on Thursday as she sought report on a recent murder case in Delhi, ANI reported.

Sharma made the statement on the murder of a woman named Nikki Yadav allegedly by her live-in partner Sahil Gehlot. According to the police, Gehlot killed Yadav after she confronted him about his engagement with another woman.

Gehlot had not told his family about his relationship with Yadav, accoridng to the police. He had reportedly did not end the relationship with Yadav even when his family fixed his marriage with another woman.

The allegations in this case are similar to those pertaining to the killing of a woman named Shraddha Walkar last year. The Delhi Police have alleged that Walkar’s live-in partner Aftab Poonawala murdered her and chopped her body into several pieces before throwing the body parts at different places in the city over several days.

Sharma said on Thursday that she feels girls are not safe in live-in relationships, according to ANI.

“Not only girls but families also responsible for such incidents,” she said. “If girls are given right to select their partners, these types of incidents can decrease.”

Sharma also said that the police and families should be concerned about such murders.

Meanwhile, the women body’s chairperson tweeted on Thursday that along with strengthening law and order, there is a need to treat children with respect and refrain from treating them as possessions.

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