Tamil Nadu is witnessing a surge in honour killings, spotlighting more violence against marginalized communities. In a chilling incident in Ranipet, an 18-year-old Scheduled Caste student was found dead in a well after receiving threats from his girlfriend’s family. His family blocked a road in a sit-in protest, demanding justice for him.
Narasimhan and Maheshwari reside in Perunkanchi village, located within the Kodaikal panchayat near Sholinghur in Ranipet district. Their 18-year-old son, Kadirvel, is a second-year Diploma student at a Private Polytechnic College in Koothambakkam, Panavaram.
Kadirvel, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste, was in a relationship with Niveda, Suresh’s daughter, who is from a different community and lives in the same area. When Niveda’s family learned of this relationship, they had previously threatened Kadirvel’s mother that they would kill him.
On the night of 19 August 2024, Kadirvel left home after receiving a call from Niveda and did not return for an extended period. Despite extensive searches, he was not found. On the evening of 20 August 2024, Kadirvel’s relatives were devastated to discover his sandals floating in a nearby well and immediately informed the Sholinghur police and fire department.
Authorities arrived at the scene and retrieved Kadirvel’s body from the 30-foot-deep well. The body was then sent to the Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore for an autopsy.
Over 50 of Kadirvel’s relatives demanded justice, accusing Niveda’s father, Suresh, of being responsible for his death. In response, Suresh armed himself with a knife and attacked Kadirvel’s relatives, injuring two young men, Manikandan (24) and Vallarasu (24), who were then hospitalized at Sholinghur Government Hospital.
Ranipet District Superintendent of Police Kiran Sruthi, ADSP Kumar, and Arakkonam DSP Venkatesan visited the site to investigate the incident, which led to heightened tension in Perunkanchi village and the deployment of heavy police security.
In protest, Kadirvel’s relatives staged a demonstration on the Sholinghur -Walajah road, demanding Suresh’s immediate arrest under the Prevention of Atrocities Act.
Surge Of Honour Killings In Tamil Nadu
Recent years have seen a troubling rise in caste-based violence in Tamil Nadu. Over the past three years, there have been 48 such honour killings, with 11 occurring in just the last eight months, indicating an alarming increase in caste-based murders. The violence is predominantly perpetrated by members of dominant castes against those from Scheduled Castes and other marginalized groups.
Notable incidents include:
- Earlier this year in Pattukkottai district, parents murdered their daughter by hanging her from a tamarind tree. Then they burned her corpse in secret as a punishment for marrying a Scheduled Caste youth.
- In February 2024 in Chennai, a Scheduled Caste youth named Praveen was murdered by the woman’s brother for marrying a backward-class woman.
- In June 2024, a young man from the Paraiyar caste, Alagendran, was killed and mutilated by his father-in-law in Aruppukkottai for his relationship with a Pallar girl.
- In July 2024, in the Dharmapuri district, a similar caste-based murder occurred in where a Muslim youth named Mohammad Asiq was killed by the family of his partner, Tamilarasi from the Paraiyar caste, highlighting a growing trend of caste honour killings even within marginalized communities.
The increasing caste violence in Tamil Nadu is partly attributed to the government’s inaction and improper acts to curb this honour-killing menace.
In the last 8 months, 11 "honour" killings have taken place in Tamil Nadu.
If the DMK government continues to ignore the repeated wakeup calls, we will lose more and more youths to blood-thirsty casteist forces.
Source: Today's @Theekkathir
1/2 pic.twitter.com/YvprfsjVai
— Siddarth K.M. (சித்தார்த் கோ.மு.) (@Sidzepp) August 26, 2024
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