Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday condemned the brutal murder of Pranay, a Dalit man from Telangana, who was killed for marrying a caste Hindu. The Chief Minister said that caste arrogance has led to Pranay’s death.
Speaking at the Assembly, Naidu said that his government had given priority to inter-caste marriages in a bid to end casteism. He said that if more people marry out of caste, it would be easier to annihilate caste.
Chandrababu Naidu said, “If the boy is of good conduct; if they decide to get married and be happy, parents should bless them, else help them or just leave them. But killing a person is horrifying. It all happened because of caste arrogance and there’s a need to let go of it.”
Pranay, a 24 year old from Miryalaguda in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, was hacked to death broad daylight on Friday when he and his wife Amrutha came out of a hospital following a routine checkup for Amrutha is five months pregnant.
An unidentified assailant, reportedly in police detention, pulled out a machete and attacked Pranay from behind at the hospital premises. Pranay succumbed almost immediately after two heavy blows to his head and neck. The gruesome act was caught on the CCTV of the hospital.
This caste-based killing, allegedly executed by Amrutha’s father, Maruthi Rao, has sparked wide outrage in Telangana. Speaking to several media channels, Amrutha has alleged that Rao had threatened her several times with dire consequences and even told her to get the baby aborted. She even said that her father’s brother, Shravan, is a co-conspirator in the crime.
Maruthi Rao is a realtor and businessman with strong political connections in Miryalaguda. Both Maruthi and Shravan have reportedly been detained by the police.
Both Pranay and Amrutha got married despite stiff opposition, defying threats, at Arya Samaj in Hyderabad in January. After getting their marriage registered, they approached police for protection. After being counselled by police, Rao pretended of accepting their marriage.
Meanwhile, amidst a sea of Dalit students and activists, chanting slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Johar Pranay’, Pranay was laid to rest with a huge procession in Muthireddy Kunta on Sunday, after Pranay’s younger brother returned from Ukraine, where he is studying.