In an alleged caste killing case of 23-year-old Dalit techie Kavin Selvaganesh, the Tamil Nadu police have arrested Saravanan, a serving sub-inspector and the father of the main accused Surjith.
The arrest came after days of public outrage and continued protest by Kavin’s family, who had refused to receive his body until all suspected individuals were held accountable.
Subashini, the sister of the accused and Kavin’s partner, denied her parents’ role in the murder. In a viral video, she clarified, “We were in true love. Since we wanted some time to settle down, we didn’t say much about our relationship to my parents. On May 30, Surjith, my brother, informed my father about my relationship with Kavin. But when my father asked, I didn’t disclose anything as Kavin asked me for time.”
The family of the deceased techie finally took possession of his body on Friday, after five days of protest. The handover took place at Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital, where Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru and District Collector R Sukumar paid their respects.
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu police had transferred the case to the Crime Branch–CID for an independent probe following widespread public anger. The accused, Surjith, was arrested on the same day as the crime and has been booked under charges of murder, along with provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Goondas Act.
Tamil Nadu DGP Shankar Jiwal stated, “Preliminary investigation reveals the murder was over the relationship between the accused man’s sister and the victim.”
Kavin was killed near a Siddha centre in Tirunelveli, where his girlfriend worked and his grandfather was under treatment. CCTV footage reportedly shows Surjith taking Kavin away on his motorcycle shortly before the brutal attack. Kavin’s body was later found with severe injuries.
The victim’s family had earlier demanded the arrest and remand of the accused’s parents. “Surjith has been booked as A1. Our only demand is his parents ought to be remanded. With that demand, we protested the other day and we’ve not collected the body. This is a clear case of honour killing. There’s provision to remand them based on the FIR,” said Selvam, a relative of Kavin.
Political voices also weighed in on the incident. Rajya Sabha MP and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan condemned the killing and urged political unity against caste violence. “Stringent punishment must be ensured. Casteism must be eradicated through collective political will,” he posted on X.
Maktoob Staff
Courtesy : Maktoob Media
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