Chennai: A newly-wed 28-year-old youth was brutally murdered by his own father, who also slain his mother who intervened to save her only grandson, for marrying a Dalit woman against his wishes at Arunapathy village near Uthangarai town in Krishnagiri district, 262 km from Chennai, on Saturday. The bride also sustained grievous injuries while attempting to save her husband.
Police in Uthangarai said that it was a pre-planned pre-dawn attack by P Dhandapani (55) when the couple and his mother were still asleep. This is the second such honour killing in two months in the district.
The victim Subash, working in a garment factory in Tirupur, had fallen in love with a co-worker, Anushya (25) hailing from a village near Jayankondam in Ariyalur district which was opposed by Dhandapani, also employed in a hosiery unit there. With the girl's family accepting their relationship, the duo entered into wedlock on March 27. After marriage, Subash got employed in a finance company in Tirupathur and settled there in a rented house with his wife. Since then, Dhandapani was waiting for an opportune time to take revenge on his son for marrying a Dalit. He had two other daughters and the family was living in Tirupur.
The couple had the support of Subash's grandmother, Kannammal, who also helped them financially in starting their life together. With an evil plan to eliminate the couple, Dhandapani returned to his native Arunapathy and convinced his mother to invite the duo to make peace with them. An unsuspecting Kannamal too believed him and asked her grandson to come with his newlywed wife for the Tamil New Year celebration. They too arrived yesterday in the hope of getting united with the family. Dhandapani who too came there spoke to them, hiding his rancour. After dinner, they went to bed.
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“Early in the morning around 5 am, Dhandapani took a sharp machete and slain Subash. On hearing his cry, Kannammal and Anushya, one after the other, intervened to save him. After slaying Kannammal, he chased Anushya and inflicted severe cuts and she swooned outside the house. Thinking that Anushya had died, he fled from there. Recovering after some time, Anushya took her mobile phone from the house and proceeded in search of help. But, she swooned and fell down a little distance close to the house. On seeing a young woman with severe injuries, people nearby got her into an ambulance for treatment at the Uthangarai government hospital,” said DySP Amala Advin who visited the spot and removed the bodies of Subash and Kannammal for post-mortem.
The condition of Anushya is critical, police said and launched a manhunt to nab the accused Dhandapani. He was found roaming in Uthangarai with a self-inflicted cut on his neck. On his arrest, he was taken to the hospital. Earlier on March 21, 25-year-old C Jagan, belonging to an OBC community, who married Saranya (20) of the same caste, was hacked to death in broad daylight by the girl's father and his aides on the Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri highway.
A daily wager, Jagan had married Saranya only on January 26. He was waiting at the KRP Dam junction with his two-wheeler on receiving a phone call from Saranya's relative when he was brutally murdered. Successive honour killings have raised the pitch for a stringent law to contain this. VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, CPI (M) state secretary K Balakrishnan have urged the government to bring in legislation for this.
Sasikala's nephew, TTV Dhinakaran, heading the AMMK, had reminded Chief Minister MK Stalin of the DMK's poll pledge to enact a law against honour killing and said it should be tabled in the current session of the assembly without any further delay.
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