Pudukkottai: The family of a 20-year-old Dalit youth, whose body was discovered in a quarry in the Thirumalairayapuram area on April 23, has alleged that he was the victim of a caste-based killing linked to his relationship with a girl from a backward caste community.
Sources revealed that R Hariharan, an undergraduate student, went missing on April 21. His body was found two days later and sent for post-mortem examination at the Pudukkottai Government Medical College Hospital. Initially, based on a complaint filed at the Vellanur police station, the police registered a case of suicide. However, Hariharan's family contended that he was murdered by members of the girl's family. They demanded that the case be reclassified as murder and that a thorough investigation be conducted. Senior police sources later stated that the case had been altered to 'abetment to suicide' and that four members of the girl's family had been booked under provisions of the Prevention of Civil Rights Act (PCR Act).
Family's Account
Hariharan's mother, Vijayalakshmi, told TOI that he went missing on the afternoon of April 21. 'He left home around 1:30 pm. I called him at 3 pm to check on him, only to realize that his phone was ringing for the next 15 minutes. By 3:16 pm, his phone was switched off. He would normally never miss my calls and never switch off his phone. I then asked my younger son to check the place where he usually plays carrom with his friends, but he could not find him,' she said.
Vijayalakshmi expressed suspicions of murder due to previous incidents involving her son and the girl. 'In November last year, they attempted to elope. Later, a peace talk was held at the Keeranur police station between both families. Even on that day, the girl's family members verbally abused and threatened my son on caste lines. They said that we would 'face the consequences.' They even wanted to abandon the girl, and it was only after much difficulty that the police managed to convince the family to take her back home. A few months later, when they were searching for a marriage alliance for the girl, her brother came and threatened my son, saying he would be killed if he created any problem. My son assured them that he would not cause any trouble. After that, there were no issues until April 21. On that day, the girl messaged our neighbor, saying she was going to get married and asked him to pass the message to my son,' she added.
She also raised doubts about the post-mortem findings. 'Relatives who handled the body noticed injuries on his head and legs, but the preliminary post-mortem report mentioned only one injury,' she said.
NGO and Activist Demands
Kathir of the NGO 'Evidence' stated that complaints had been submitted to the Director General of Police, the Chief Secretary, and the SC/ST committee regarding the matter. 'It must be investigated properly. It appears that the police are arriving at conclusions based on the preliminary post-mortem report. There are several suspicions in this case, especially given the caste-related incidents in the past, such as the November episode,' he said.
K Muruganandam, an executive member of the Neelam organization, who filed a petition with the Superintendent of Police on Tuesday, demanded that the case be altered to murder, that arrests be made, and that police protection be provided to the family.
