http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/a-killing-to-honour-caste-practice-in-sivaganga/187685.html
A killing to honour caste practice in Sivaganga
P Krishnaswamy
First Published : 07 Jul 2010 03:16:22 AM ISTLast Updated :
MADURAI: Murdering Dalit youths, who run away with caste Hindu girls
or Dalit girls eloping with other caste boys, is common in many
districts in the State. These were euphemistically called 'honour
killings', where the parents of the girls or boys take the law into
their hands.
But what appeared like a case of murdering a youth, who had eloped
with a newly married woman has now turned out to be another gruesome
'honour killing' near Manamadurai in Sivaganga district. The murdered
youth and the girl are not from different castes. Both are from the
same community, but what irked the parents of the girl was that the
two were cousins, who under their caste practice cannot be married. So
the man has been killed and the woman is at the hospital nursing her
wounds. Mekala (19), the daughter of Vijayan of Kattikulam near
Madurai, had been in love with Sivakumar (27), an auto driver of K
Pudukkulam village. When Vijayan came to know of the affair, he had
got Mekala married to Kalidas of the same village, last month. Ten
days after the marriage, Mekala was missing and so was Sivakumar. They
had eloped and were living as husband and wife in Pudukkottai. When
Vijayan came to know of their location, he along with some others had
gone to Pudukkottai and convinced the couple to return to Kattikulam,
promising that they would be legally married. Believing them, Mekala
and Sivakumar had returned to Manamadurai on Sunday and were
proceeding to Kattikulam by an auto when a gang intercepted them and
hacked Mekala and Manikandan with aruvals. Sivakumar died on the spot
while Mekala who was trying to escape was also cut and had been
admitted to a hospital. The reason for this gruesome murder and
attempted murder according to a fact finding team from Evidence, a
Maduraibased NGO, was that both Mekala and Sivakumar were relatives
and their relationship was such that according to their community
practice they cannot marry. It would amount to incest. This was the
first time that the organisation had come across such an honour
killing as the victims were always Dalits. Mekala who is recovering at
the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai had said that she and
Sivakumar were in love for the past one year and to break this affair,
she has been married off to an elderly person. Police had registered a
case and arrested Vijayan and his relative Manikandan. They are
looking for another relative Prabhakaran.
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