Software engineer murdered in Tamil Nadu over inter-caste relationship; SI’s son arrested

Chennai: A 27-year-old Dalit software engineer from Chennai was hacked to death on Sunday in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district, allegedly by the brother of a woman he was in a long-term inter-caste relationship with.

Police have arrested the suspect, 21-year-old S Surjith, and booked him along with his parents — both serving sub-inspectors — under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The victim, Kavin Selva Ganesh, was an employee of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and hailed from Arumugamangalam in Thoothukudi district. He was reportedly attacked near a Siddha hospital in KTC Nagar, where Subashini, the woman he was in a relationship with, works as a consultant.

According to police, Surjith called Kavin on the pretext that his parents wanted to speak with him. When Kavin agreed to accompany him, Surjith allegedly took him to a less crowded area and then pulled out a sickle concealed on his back. Witnesses say Kavin attempted to flee but was chased down and hacked to death just 200 metres from the hospital.

Kavin’s mother, S Tamizhselvi, has filed a formal complaint stating that her son had been repeatedly harassed and threatened by Surjith’s family over the inter-caste relationship. She accused Surjith’s parents, sub-inspectors Saravanan and Krishnakumari, of instigating the murder and possibly attempting to use their influence to subvert justice.

CCTV footage of the attack has been retrieved. The body of Kavin has been sent for post-mortem at Tirunelveli Government Hospital, but his family has refused to accept the body until strict legal action is taken against the accused and his parents.

Protests have broken out in parts of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi, with Dalit rights groups and locals demanding the suspension and arrest of the police officer couple.

Police have confirmed that a case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015. Investigations are ongoing.