In Gopi and Chitra’s modest home in Chennai’s Pallikaranai, every wall is a testament to love. A selfie hangs on one wall, a wedding photo on another, both depicting Praveen and Sharmila — the love match whose lives were lost to caste hatred. What was once the young couple’s bedroom is today a memorial, with their portraits adorned with garlands and Kungumam sitting amidst their belongings. “It’s their love that gives us the strength to fight for justice,” says Chitra. It’s been a year since her son Praveen was murdered, and almost 10 months since her daughter-in-law, Sharmila, died by suicide.
“They haven't even called us to ask questions about her yet,” she adds.
Chitra is referring to the Chennai police, who have at best been dragging their feet in both the murder and the suicide case. At worst, they have been criminally negligent, letting two of the accused escape in what is perhaps the first reported case of caste killing in Chennai. The court hearing Praveen’s murder case refused to start the trial citing this reason; the FIR in Sharmila’s suicide doesn’t count her birth family’s alleged role in abetment.
What does this delay mean for a state where crimes against Dalits are steadily increasing?
In Chennai’s Pallikaranai on February 24, 2024, 22-year-old Praveen, a Dalit man from the Paraiyar Scheduled Caste, was murdered. The alleged perpetrators were his wife Sharmila's brother, Dinesh (24), and four other men: Sriram (18), Vishnu (23), Jothi Lingam (25), and Stephen Kumar (24). Their alleged motive: punishing Praveen for daring to marry outside caste lines.
Four of the accused, including Dinesh, are caste Hindus from the Yadava community, categorised as an Other Backward Class. Stephen Kumar, the fifth accused, is a Christian who also belongs to the Paraiyar caste.