A newly-married man from Gobichettipalayam in Tamil Nadu was allegedly beaten up by his wife’s family members for marrying against their wishes on Friday. The man also claimed that the family members abducted his wife and locked her up at her home in Erode.

The police said that Ashok and Soundaranayaki, who belong to different castes, were in a relationship for two years and were working in the same private company in Erode. The couple tried to convince both the families but the bride’s family was against the marriage due to the difference in castes. Since the attempts to convince the family failed, Ashok and Soundaranayaki got married at Ashok’s residence on September 16 against the wishes of her parents. The couple immediately came to the Gobichettipalayam All Women Police Station and sought protection from the police. The couple then decided to stay at Ashok’s home.

Ashok belongs to the Mudaliar community while his wife belongs to the Kongu Vellalar community; both the castes are classified as Backward Classes (BC).

The police said that as per the statement from Ashok, Soundaranayaki’s parents on Friday reportedly called and claimed that her father was ill. Soundaranayaki along with Ashok, his brother Baranidharan and his friend Surya went to her residence to see her father.

“Around 4 pm, as soon as they reached her home, the family locked up Soundaranayaki. Her brother Vasudevan along with four others allegedly used castetist abuses and started to hit the three men with a cricket stump. They continuously attacked the three members and slashed the hands of Surya. They also threatened to kill them,” the police said.

Speaking to the media, Ashok said, “They took away Soundaranayaki and locked her in a room. They also beat us up and confined us to the house. They also broke our mobile phones and punctured the car tyres. We immediately ran out via the back gate and came to the  Gobichettipalayam police station. Her parents plotted this against us since I belong to a different caste.”

All the three members are currently receiving treatment at the Gobichettipalayam Government Hospital.

The police have registered a case based on a complaint from Ashok. The Gobichettipalayam police are conducting further investigations.