In a shocking incident, a 21 year old Dalit man brutally murdered a teenager from Vanniyar community for refusing to elope with him and get married.
Saraswathi (18), a nursing student, hails from Deviyanandal village near Ulundurpet and belongs to the Vanniyar community. She is said to have been constantly harassed by a Dalit youth named Rangasamy (21) to make her fall in love with him. However, the Times Of India report citing police inquiries mentioned that the two have been ‘in love’ for the past two years. The youth continued to harass her despite she choosing to marry another man chosen by her parents from her community.
On the morning of the April 2, Saraswati was found lying dead at the doorstep of her house. Based on the complaint given by the victim’s brother, police had registered a case of mysterious death as the motive for the murder was not clear.
Police inquiry revealed that Rangaswamy had cornered Saraswati near her house on the wee hours of April 2 and threatened her to elope with him and get married. Rangasamy was accompanied by his brother Krishnasamy and a friend Raveendran. Saraswati refused to heed to the demand and said that she had decided to marry the person chosen by her parents. This had irked Rangasamy and his friend. The three had then strangulated her with a duppatta and threw her body in front of her house.
Rangasamy had disappeared from the day of the murder that led to suspicions about his involvement. The police team managed to trace him and his friend Raveendran hiding under a bridge. During the interrogation, Raveendran confessed to have strangulated Saraswati using her dupatta.
On Thursday, the Thirunavalur police arrested the three accused and produced them before the magistrate who remanded Rangasamy and Raveendran in judicial custody and sent the teenager Krishnasamy to observation home.
The police have booked the accused under IPC sections 302 (punishment for murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 404 (dishonest misappropriation of property, knowing that it was in possession of a deceased person at his death), and 294 b (obscene acts and songs).
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr. Ramadoss condemned the murder and called it a case of ‘staged-love’. He said that the reason for these degenerations in society and the killing of innocent young women have been due to some of the Dalit leaders (in an indirect reference to VCK leader Thirumavalavan) who instigate their young followers to do ‘staged-love’ and marry other caste women.
VCK leader Thirumavalavan in a tweet condemned the murder and called for a strict probe and stringent punishment for the accused. He also urged the Tamil Nadu government to give appropriate monetary compensation and a government job for a person to the victim’s family.
#தேவியானந்தல்_சரஸ்வதி படுகொலையை விசிக சார்பில் வன்மையாகக் கண்டிக்கிறேன்.
வழக்கை விரைந்து விசாரித்து குற்றவாளிகளுக்கு உரிய தண்டனை வழங்கிட வலியுறுத்துகிறேன்.
சரஸ்வதியை இழந்துவாடும் குடும்பத்தினருக்கு எமது ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கலைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.
— Thol. Thirumavalavan (@thirumaofficial) April 16, 2021
தேவியனந்தல் சரஸ்வதியின் குடும்பத்தினருக்கு உரிய #இழப்பீடு மற்றும் அவரது குடும்பத்தில் ஒருவருக்கு அரசு #வேலைவாய்ப்பு வழங்கிட வேண்டுமென தமிழக அரசை விசிக சார்பில் வலியுறுத்துகிறேன்.#GovtEmployment #JusticeForVictim
— Thol. Thirumavalavan (@thirumaofficial) April 16, 2021
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