Chennai SHOCKER: 26-year-old man hacked to death over inter-castle marriage; Brother-in-law under 5 detained
On Saturday, Praveen, an auto mechanic by profession, was allegedly attacked with sharp weapons by his wife’s brother and his accomplices in Pallikaranai area of Chennai.
Chennai News: In a shocking case of suspected honor killing, a 26-year-old man was hacked to death in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai on Saturday for marrying a girl from a different caste, allegedly by his own brother-in-law.
According to police, the victim, 26-year-old Praveen, had married his girlfriend Sharmila four months ago. However, the woman’s parents and other relatives had opposed the union.
On Saturday, Praveen, an auto mechanic by profession, was allegedly attacked with sharp weapons by his wife’s brother and his accomplices in Pallikaranai area of Chennai. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but died en route, police said.
Giving details, a senior officer said Praveen had left home on Saturday to do some shopping when he was waylaid and attacked by Sharmila’s brother Dinesh and four of his accomplices.
After the brutal murder. a special police team arrested the five suspects, identified as Stefen Kumar, Jothi Lingam, Sriram, Ashok, Vishnu Raj and the victim’s brother-in-law Dinesh.
“Praveen had gone shopping, but didn’t return for more than two hours. I started getting worried but only realized what had happened when I heard my daughter-in-law crying,” said the victim’s father Gopi.
The grief-stricken father demanded strict action against the accused and speedy justice for his son’s murder.
Police said prima facie it is a case of honor killing but investigations are on to determine the exact motive behind the murder.
“Further investigations into the case are underway,” she added.
19-year-old woman burned by family
In a similar incident in January this year, a 19-year-old Dalit girl was reportedly burnt to death by her own relatives, including her father, days after she married her Dalit boyfriend against the family’s wishes.
The incident took place in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, police said.
As per details, the deceased victim, Aishwarya, was in love with Naveen – both 19 years old, since childhood as both were friends since childhood and later worked together in Tiruppur.
Naveen, a mechanical engineer by profession, had gotten a job at a hosiery department in Avarapalayam, Tiruppur, while Aishwarya was working at a textile factory in Palladam. However, Aishwarya soon joined her friend when she got hired at the same company.
The childhood friendship grew into love and the couple dated for eighteen months before finally deciding to get married. However, Aishwarya, a caste Hindu, knew that her family would never agree to the competition as Naveen belonged to the Dalit community.
Fearing stiff resistance and repercussions from Aishwarya’s family, the couple, with the help of their friends, got married at a temple in Avarapalayam on December 31, 2023, without the knowledge of their family and shifted to a rented accommodation in Veerapandi in Theni district.
Aishwarya was reportedly burnt to death by her own family on January 2, days after her marriage to Naveen.