In a shocking honour killing case that stirred public outrage, Tirunelveli Police Commissioner Santhosh has ordered action under the Goondas Act against Surjit, who was arrested for the murder of a 27-year-old IT professional named Kavin Selvaganesh.
Kavin, a native of Aarumugamangalam near Eral in Thoothukudi district, was the son of farmer Chandrasekar and Tamilselvi. He had completed his engineering degree and was working at an IT firm in Thuraipakkam, Chennai.
During his college days in Thoothukudi, Kavin had become close to a fellow student, a woman who is now working as a Siddha doctor at a private hospital in Tirunelveli. The woman’s parents – Saravanan, a Sub-Inspector with the Armed Reserve in Rajapalayam, and Krishna Kumari, also a Sub-Inspector with the Manimutharu Armed Reserve – reportedly disapproved of the relationship.
Their son Surjit, aged 24, is accused of murdering Kavin a few days ago. Following the incident, Surjit surrendered to the police and was remanded to judicial custody.
The brutal killing of a Scheduled Caste youth by a dominant caste family triggered widespread protests and demands for justice in Tirunelveli. Kavin’s family staged demonstrations seeking stringent punishment.
In response, Police Commissioner Santhosh has now ordered that Surjit be detained under the Goondas Act, a preventive detention law used for habitual or dangerous offenders.
The case has brought renewed focus on caste-based violence and honour killings in Tamil Nadu.