Patiala (Punjab), July 23 - Even as a 21-year-old man was lynched by the girl's family in neighbouring Haryana in a case of honour killing Wednesday, a similar incident of honour killing in Punjab went wrong when the mother of a youth was killed as she tried to save her son from his angry father-in-law.

Retired armyman Gurdeep Singh shot dead Manjit Kaur, mother of Balihar Singh in Brahmpura village of Patiala district late Wednesday night, police officials said here Thursday.

Balihar had married Gurdeep Singh's daughter Kamaljit Kaur a few weeks back against the wishes of her family. Both had got married at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh, 100 km away, and had feared for their lives.

The armyman arrived at the house of Manjit Kaur on being told by relatives that his son-in-law and daughter had come there to meet her. He was carrying a .12-bore gun when he arrived.

As he aimed the gun in a fit of anger at Balihar, his mother Manjit Kaur tried to intervene to protect her son.