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Three more held in Tamil Nadu ‘honour’ killing case; activist bats for special law

13 Jan 2024, 8:26 am | THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
The arrested have been identified as K Chinrasu (30), R Thiruselvam (39) and T Murugesan (34), all from Neivaviduthi.
Image used for representational purpose only. (Photo | PTI)
Image used for representational purpose only. (Photo | PTI)

THANJAVUR/MADURAI: Three more men, all caste Hindus, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old girl, Iswarya, allegedly for marrying a Dalit.

The arrested have been identified as K Chinrasu (30), R Thiruselvam (39) and T Murugesan (34), all from Neivaviduthi. They were produced before a Pattukkottai court on Friday and remanded in judicial custody for 15 days. P Perumal (50) and Roja (45), parents of Iswarya, were arrested on January 10.

Meanwhile, ‘Evidence’ executive director Kathir on Friday urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to enact a special law to curb honour killing, and form a special investigation team comprising personnel from another state to investigate the case.

Addressing reporters, Kathir said ‘Evidence’ has found several lapses in the probe, including police failing to produce the couple in the court following inter-caste marriage, and handing over the girl to her parents.
He claimed that though Iswarya’s body was carried for a distance of one km through the village, no one questioned them. “We believe, the entire village is in favour of honour killing.

All the people who were directly or indirectly connected with the killing must be arrested. In 2018, the Supreme Court had issued 21 guidelines for handling honour killing cases. “However, Tamil Nadu government has failed to follow the guidelines and negligence on the part of Palladam police caused the death of the girl. As per field inspection carried out by ‘Evidence’, as many as 24 incidents of honour killing happened in Tamil Nadu from 2021 to 2023,” Kathir said.

He also urged the state to provide full security to Iswarya’s husband Naveen and his family. “A few witnesses gave their confession statement in the case. Their statements must be registered under CrPC 164. Or else, they may turn hostile witness in the near future,” he added.

Iswarya of Neivaviduthi, who was working in a hosiery unit in Tiruppur, got married to Naveen on December 31. Perumal and his relatives, who opposed the alliance filed a girl-missing case in Palladam police station on January 2 and brought her back. Sources said Perumal and his relatives murdered Iswarya and cremated the body on January 3.

Tamil Nadu: ‘Girl hung from tree before parents strangled her’

Jan 13, 2024, 18:28 IST | times of India.

Madurai-based dalit rights organization, Evidence, which sent a fact finding committee to
Neivaviduthi in Thanjavur district after a caste killing was reported in the village, has
urged the state government to hand over the case to a special investigation
team preferably with police officials from neighbouring state. The ongoing police
investigation has failed to bring out the conspiracy to kill the 19-year-old girl of kallar
community brutally for marrying a dalit boy from the same locality.
Evidence executive director A Kathir told reporters here on Friday that the fact-finding
team inquired with villagers and found that the victim, Aishwarya, was brought back from
Palladam police station in the wee hours of January 3 by her parents and relatives. “She
was hanged from a tamarind tree behind the house. One of her aunts, unable to bear the
struggle of the girl, slashed the rope with a sickle but she was strangled by her parents
to death. The body of the teen was then taken to the village graveyard by dawn. They
carried her body on a cot in full public view and managed to gather petrol, kerosene and
tyres to burn the body to ashes. The incident came to light only on January 7 after the
girl’s husband B Naveen filed a police complaint at Vattathikottai,” said Kathir.
The police arrested the girl’s parents Perumal and Roja and three more relatives. The
statements of Naveen and his father have been recorded before the Pudukottai
magistrate. Kathir said Palladam police did not follow Supreme Court guidelines to
protect inter-caste couples. They handed over Aishwarya to her parents on January 2
though she should have been produced before court and admitted to a home. Tirupur
district police did not inform Thanjavur district police about this case which is the norm,
he said. None of the village authorities of Neivaviduthi reported the gruesome murder to
their higher officials though everyone was aware of it.
“The way this investigation is heading, we have a strong feeling that the caste outfits
which engineered this honour killing are turning it into a family problem of the victim. It
is a conspiracy orchestrated by the caste groups which should be probed and all of them
should be brought to justice,” added Kathir.

Activist wants SIT comprising other State police officers to probe Thanjavur caste killing

January 12, 2024 06:53 pm | THE HINDU

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising police officers from other States should be constituted to probe the recent murder of a 19-year-old girl, P. Isvarya, allegedly by her parents in Thanjavur after she eloped with a youth, Naveen belonging to a Scheduled Caste, A. Kathir, executive director of Evidence, a Madurai-based organisation, said on Friday (January 12, 2024). According to him, there were discrepancies in the police investigation in the case.

“Isvarya’s parents P. Perumal and Roja, after bringing her from Tiruppur where she and the 19-year-old Naveen got ‘married’ (legally void as the boy is not of marriageable age), hanged her from a tree,” he charged.

Later, placing the body on a cot, they allegedly dragged it to a graveyard about one km away from their house and set fire to it on January 3. The crime came to light after five days, only after Naveen filed a police complaint. Further, he said, upon receiving a girl missing complaint from her parents, Tiruppur police found the couple near Veerapandi area in Tiruppur.

“The police brought only Isvarya to the police station, leaving Naveen behind. Then, Isvarya was handed over to her parents, who took her to their village near Thanjavur,” he added.

While there was a 2018 Supreme Court direction to State governments to follow 21 guidelines while dealing with inter-caste marriages, Tamil Nadu police followed none of them.

“Knowing that there was an issue in the marriage, the police allowed the girl to be taken away by their parents. Secondly, Tiruppur police after handing over Isvarya to her parents should have informed Thanjavur police of the incident,” he said.

Sensing the ominous situation, at least the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) should have checked on the girl in her village.

Mr. Kathir alleged that the police, to protect a few caste outfit members, who had a significant role in the murder, were framing only the parents. If not for the police’s lethargic attitude in handling the situation, the murder could have been averted, he said.

He said police protection should be given to the family of Naveen, who registered a police complaint to find the girl. “Since a few witnesses have given their statements, the evidence recorded should be taken under Section 164 (Recording confessions and statements) of the Cr.P.C. to protect them from being misinterpreted,” Mr. Kathir added.

While the Central government had informed Parliament that three caste killings were recorded in Tamil Nadu from 2017 to 2021, Mr. Kathir said, the actual number was significantly undermined as he through his investigation found out 24 caste killings from 2021 to 2023. “Nine of them were recorded in the southern districts,” he added.

Activist wants SIT comprising other State police officers to probe Thanjavur caste killing

January 12, 2024 06:53 pm | THE HINDU

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising police officers from other States should be constituted to probe the recent murder of a 19-year-old girl, P. Isvarya, allegedly by her parents in Thanjavur after she eloped with a youth, Naveen belonging to a Scheduled Caste, A. Kathir, executive director of Evidence, a Madurai-based organisation, said on Friday (January 12, 2024). According to him, there were discrepancies in the police investigation in the case.

“Isvarya’s parents P. Perumal and Roja, after bringing her from Tiruppur where she and the 19-year-old Naveen got ‘married’ (legally void as the boy is not of marriageable age), hanged her from a tree,” he charged.

Later, placing the body on a cot, they allegedly dragged it to a graveyard about one km away from their house and set fire to it on January 3. The crime came to light after five days, only after Naveen filed a police complaint. Further, he said, upon receiving a girl missing complaint from her parents, Tiruppur police found the couple near Veerapandi area in Tiruppur.

“The police brought only Isvarya to the police station, leaving Naveen behind. Then, Isvarya was handed over to her parents, who took her to their village near Thanjavur,” he added.

While there was a 2018 Supreme Court direction to State governments to follow 21 guidelines while dealing with inter-caste marriages, Tamil Nadu police followed none of them.

“Knowing that there was an issue in the marriage, the police allowed the girl to be taken away by their parents. Secondly, Tiruppur police after handing over Isvarya to her parents should have informed Thanjavur police of the incident,” he said.

Sensing the ominous situation, at least the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) should have checked on the girl in her village.

Mr. Kathir alleged that the police, to protect a few caste outfit members, who had a significant role in the murder, were framing only the parents. If not for the police’s lethargic attitude in handling the situation, the murder could have been averted, he said.

He said police protection should be given to the family of Naveen, who registered a police complaint to find the girl. “Since a few witnesses have given their statements, the evidence recorded should be taken under Section 164 (Recording confessions and statements) of the Cr.P.C. to protect them from being misinterpreted,” Mr. Kathir added.

While the Central government had informed Parliament that three caste killings were recorded in Tamil Nadu from 2017 to 2021, Mr. Kathir said, the actual number was significantly undermined as he through his investigation found out 24 caste killings from 2021 to 2023. “Nine of them were recorded in the southern districts,” he added.

 

பட்டுக்கோட்டை ஐஸ்வர்யா ஆணவ படுகொலையில் காவல்துறையும் உடந்தை

12 Jan 2024 | News18 Tamil Nadu

Dalit women share tales of caste bias

Dec 10, 2023 | THE TIMES OF INDIA

Madurai: Dalit women from various walks of life shared insights on
overcoming challlenges they faced due to discrimination, especially as dalit women in
society, at a conference in Madurai on Saturday.
The event titled ‘Dalit Penn Aalumaigal Pesugirargal’, organised by dalit rights NGO
Evidence, saw dalit women personalities from fields such as education, sports and
politics discuss issues surrounding caste discrimination and patriarchy.

Dalit women share their experience of struggle and success in Madurai

December 09, 2023 | THE HINDU

Dalit women from various fields gathered at the ‘Dalit Women Personalities Speaks’ event to share their experiences of struggles and challenges they have overcome.

The event which started with conferring the human rights activist 2023 award to Murugan Kanna of Tirunelveli for his contribution in bringing out caste-related violence to the public, was organised by Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO on Saturday.

Speaking to The Hindu, A. Kathir, executive director of Evidence, said the event would be an eye-opener to the audience to know about the struggles the Dalit women overcame to achieve such great heights.

“Unlike the previous years when the organisation and a few experts would be discussing various topics, this year it is only the women who will speak about their experiences they gained through their life,” he added.

Women from politics, education, business, medicine, sports, activism, and others spoke furiously about their battle they fought to win over the discriminations and dominations.

Shalin Maria Lawrence, writer, said, “Many parties in the State advocating for Dalit rights are hesitant to talk about the internal caste politics.”

The politics played by the parties affects women the most who are at the forefront of struggle for food and money, she added.

Thamizhini of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi said that Dalit women leaders should learn to exercise their power effectively as the reservation is only an affirmation of our leaders to the society and that itself is not a success.

“Women leaders should be educated to tackle and win over the challenges and discriminations they face in their own households,” she added.

A professor named Balasundari shared her experiences about getting beaten by the villagers of intermediary castes for wearing slippers in a rally. Remembering the incident, she said, it was the moment she got the determination to pursue education to the highest possible level.

“Working as a professor in a prestigious university is not an easy task for a woman like me from a particular community. I braved various challenges in the form of character assassinations and denial of rights and many things,” she added.

Such struggles motivated her to push many children who were unable to bear the experiences of caste-based discriminations in achieving their goals, said Ms. Balasundari.

She advised the Dalit women to educate themselves and their children against all odds to gain confidence in fighting the social disease called caste.

Many women leaders at panchayat and municipality level shared their experiences in overcoming the entrenched discriminations against them by officials, fellow villagers and other leaders.

“This demotivates us and makes us think at least thrice before taking each step. Each mistake committed by us will reflect on our whole society,” they noted.

Papering over the caste violence in Tamil Nadu

December 03, 2023 | THE HINDU

The spike, in recent years, of crimes against the Dalits, especially heinous crimes, have raised concerns among activists in the Tamil Nadu. Despite having an avowed agenda to address social inequities, provide equal opportunities and work towards a casteless society, successive governments have failed to stem the tide

Nandakumar, a Dalit youth, was killed over a monetary dispute with a person from an intermediate caste at Pandaarampatti in Thoothukudi district on Friday. His relatives and villagers staged a protest on Saturday.

Papering over the caste violence in Tamil Nadu

Nandakumar, a Dalit youth, was killed over a monetary dispute with a person from an intermediate caste at Pandaarampatti in Thoothukudi district on Friday. His relatives and villagers staged a protest on Saturday. | Photo Credit: N. Rajesh

Nandakumar, a Dalit youth, was killed over a monetary dispute with a person from an intermediate caste at Pandaarampatti in Thoothukudi district on Friday. His relatives and villagers staged a protest on Saturday.

The recent spike in heinous crimes perpetrated against Dalits in Tamil Nadu, especially in the southern districts and increasingly across other parts, has shown that anti-Dalit violence and discrimination continues to be the Achilles heel of the otherwise well-intentioned Dravidian movement, a champion of social justice, rationalism, and equality in Tamil Nadu for over 100 years.

Political organisations, NGOs, and activists agree that the recent trend of crimes against the Scheduled Castes is noticeable not only due to better and improved reporting of cases, but an actual significant increase in heinous crimes against them in Tamil Nadu.

Caste atrocity: Minor among 5 attacked in TN’s Madurai district with swords; 4 held

November 30, 2023 08:54 IST | THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Five persons, including a seven-year-old boy, belonging to a scheduled caste, were attacked by two youths of the intermediate caste with swords near Perungudi in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai on Monday night.

According to the FIR accessed by indianexpress.com, the three men were identified as Ganapathi Kumar, Vijay Kumar and Ajith Kumar, all daily wage labourers, who were standing near a stage setup for a drama and chatting before heading to work on Monday evening.

Around 7.15 pm, two youths identified as R Mari and K Sasikumar, came on a motorcycle in an inebriated condition and enquired about one Kannapillai. When the labourers replied that they did not know about his whereabouts, it led to an altercation. Soon, one of the accused pulled out a sword and attacked the youths.

The police said the accused inflicted injuries to the victims on their limbs. The seven-year-old too sustained cut injuries on his feet.

Hearing the screams of the victims, the onlookers rushed to the spot but the assailants managed to flee.

Based on a complaint by Ganapathi, the Perungudi police registered a case under Section 294 (b) (sings, recites, or utters any obscene song ballad or words, in or near public place) 307 (attempt to commit murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and also under the provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

A senior officer said they have arrested Mari while Sasikumar is absconding. The officer added that three others, Arun Kumar, Sundaramoorthy and Muthusamy, who helped the duo or were somehow connected with the incident, were also arrested. A manhunt is on to nab Sasikumar.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, A Kathir of the Madurai-based NGO Evidence, said Mari has a criminal case against him.

“We went there and found some facts. The victims basically do flex banner works and Mari is a water tanker driver while Sasikumar works as a mason. The incident shows how much they have been influenced since their early age by caste pride,” he said.

In a statement Kathir said that the ‘Aruval Kalacharam’ (sickle/sword culture implying people taking weapons in their hands to settle scores) has started to surface even in Madurai after it began in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.

He noted that the accused should not be released on bail and the government should provide a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to all the four victims.

Seven-year-old among five Dalits attacked in Madurai, search on for two caste Hindu men

29th November 2023 08:13 AM | THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS

MADURAI: Police registered a case against two caste Hindus for assaulting five persons from the SC community, including a 7-year-old boy, in Perungudi on Monday evening.

According to police, Ajith (28), Vijayakumar (27), Ganapathikumar (28), Periyasamy (60) and his seven-year-old grandson sustained minor cut injuries and are undergoing treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital.

Police are on the lookout for suspects R Mari and K Sasikumar. According to sources, the accused came to Perungudi mandhai around 8 pm on Monday where Ajith, Vijayakumar and Ganapathikumar were sitting. They asked them about the whereabouts of Kannan, who also belonged to the SC community. A wordy duel ensued, following which the caste Hindus assaulted Ajith, Vijayakumar and Ganapathikumar with a sickle.

When Periyasamy tried to intervene, the accused assaulted him and his grandson. Perungudi police registered a case under different sections of SC/ST Act and IPC sections including 307 IPC. Two special teams have been formed to nab the accused.

VCK staged a protest in Melur on Tuesday demanding the immediate arrest of the suspects. Executive director of Evidence A Kathir in a release condemned the rise in caste atrocities in Tamil Nadu.