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This is an archive article published on March 16, 2016

Dalit murder in Tamil Nadu: Five arrested, mother-in-law absconding

V Shankar, 22, was killed on Sunday afternoon, allegedly for marrying a woman from the politically and socially dominant Thevar community, Kausalya.

The five suspects are all daily wage labourers. The five suspects are all daily wage labourers.

Two days after a young Dalit man was hacked to death on a busy street in Udumalaipettai town of Tamil Nadu’s Tirupur district, the police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested five accused even as the victim’s mother-in-law and her brother are said to be absconding.

V Shankar, 22, was killed on Sunday afternoon, allegedly for marrying a woman from the politically and socially dominant Thevar community, Kausalya.

Kausalya’s father, Chinnaswamy, had surrendered on Monday and claimed responsibility for the murder. The police said her mother, Annalakshmi, and maternal uncle Pandi Durai are absconding. An officer claimed the police have learnt that they had a direct role in the murder.

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The five suspected arrested in the early hours of Tuesday — all daily wage labourers — have been identified as Selvakumar (26), Madhan (25), Manikandan (25), Jagadish (31), and Manikandan (29). The police said the first four had a direct role in the conspiracy and murder, while Manikandan was arrested for helping and harbouring the accused.

dalit death, dalit marriage, dalit and thevar, crime, death, Thevar community, honor killing, india news, nation news Kausalya and Sankar got married eight months ago.

 

 

Kausalya and Shankar, who were in the same engineering college, married in July last year, and were reportedly under constant threat from Kausalya’s parents ever since. “The police once had to intervene to rescue Kausalya when her parents tried to kidnap her,” the officer said.

Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority. Expertise Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews. Key Coverage Areas: State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor. Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties. Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu. Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail. His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More

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