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A 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl, who were in a relationship, were found dead inside a thatched shed near Sathangudi village in Mayiladathurai district on Tuesday, June 30.
According to reports, the deceased were identified as M Parthiban, a mason from Pudhupalayam village belonging to the Adi Dravidar (Scheduled Caste) community, and the girl, a Class 12 graduate from neighbouring Sathangudi village belonging to the Vanniyar community, which falls under the Most Backward Class (MBC) category.
The duo had been in a relationship for around two years, which was opposed by the girl’s family.
On June 29, Monday night, Parthiban approached the Poraiyar police station alleging that the girl's father and four of his relatives had assaulted him and abused him using caste slurs.
Based on his complaint, police registered a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other relevant provisions against the five accused.
The following morning, the girl's father lodged a missing person complaint after she was found missing from home.
During the search, police found the bodies of the couple inside a thatched shed near Sathangudi. The girl's body was handed over to her family after the postmortem, while Parthiban’s postmortem was reportedly pending.
Parthiban's relatives alleged that he was the victim of a caste killing and demanded that the case be altered to murder.
Members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Left parties joined the protest, staging a road blockade demanding a murder investigation.
Soon after the news of their deaths spread, tension prevailed in Sathangudi where some of Parthiban's relatives allegedly vandalised the girl's house and another relative’s residence in which one of the girl's relatives sustained injuries.
Police have registered three cases — one under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act based on Parthiban's complaint, another on the girl's missing complaint filed by her father, and a third under provisions relating to unnatural death.
The girl's father, Lakshmikanthan, and four of his relatives — Surya, Manimaran, Vasanthan and Vijaya Kumar — have been arrested in connection with the SC/ST Act case and remanded to judicial custody.
Speaking to Times of India, Mayiladathurai Superintendent of Police (in-charge) G Stalin said there were “no external injuries” on the bodies to indicate murder.
Additional police personnel have been deployed in and around Sathangudi to prevent any escalation of tension.
Further investigation is underway.