TN honor-killing: Victim’s family refuses to accept body
The family of Sankar, the honor killing victim, blocked a road for four hours and demanded a government job for Kusalya and Rs.10 lakh compensation. Reportedly, post-mortem couldn't be performed, as the deceased's family, friends, and political organizations protested and demanded the arrest of everyone involved in the murder. Shops in Komaralingam were forced to shut down as a mark of respect to Sankar.
What is honor killing?
Honor or shame killing is the homicide of a person by family members due to their belief that the victim's act brought dishonor or shame upon their family/community/religion, by those refusing arranged marriage and who marry out of caste.
Suspected case of honor killing in Tamil Nadu
V. Sankar, a 22-year-old engineering student, who was married to an upper-caste Hindu girl was brutally murdered in Udumalpet, Tirupur district, Tamil Nadu. Sankar and his 19-year-old wife, Kausalya were allegedly attacked with lethal weapons, near a departmental store by three men on a motorcycle in broad daylight. Sankar was declared dead on the way to hospital, and Kausalya suffered a severe head injury.
Another suspected case of honor killing
In November 2015, the death of a 17-year-old upper-caste girl in Puthendal rocked Tamil Nadu. The girl, who was in love with a Dalit boy allegedly, committed suicide by consuming poison. But, post-mortem reports showed marks of strangulation, indicating homicide.
Girl’s family hired attackers: Investigators
Investigators of the murder case, who had inspected the scene of the crime had stated that relatives of the girl had hired a gang to kill Sankar. A senior police official said that they had detained a prime suspect who was the brain behind the attack. He also added that the gang who killed the boy would be arrested soon for the crime.
Reason behind the murder
The relatives of the girl had allegedly opposed her marriage few months ago with V. Sankar, a Dalit. Sankar belonged to Kumaralingam near Udumalpet while his wife was a native of Dindigul district. They met at an engineering college in Pollachi and got married in 2015. Kausalya's parents moved to court to separate them, but as she wasn't a minor, no action was taken.
Father of girl surrenders in Nilakottai court
The father of the assaulted girl in the honor killing case had surrendered in a Nilakottai court, Dindigul district. Kausalya had blamed her father for the attack on them. A video clip showed three men brutally hacking Sankar to death and attacking Kausalya in public. After attacking the couple repeatedly, the attackers left the victims in a pool of blood.
