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Chandrasekar, father of 27-year-old Dalit youth Kavin Selvaganesh, who was brutally murdered in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district, has alleged that a police officer played a direct role in the suspected caste-based honour killing.
Speaking to reporters, he named Palayamkottai Inspector Kasi Pandian as an active conspirator who allegedly tipped off the accused Surjith about Kavin’s movements and threatened Kavin to end his relationship with Surjith’s sister, Subhasini. "He is not a police officer, he is a gang leader," Chandrasekar alleged, demanding the officer’s immediate suspension.
Chandrasekar alleged that Kasi Pandian was instrumental in convening a caste-based panchayat to pressure Kavin into ending the inter-caste relationship and allegedly issued multiple death threats over the phone. He also alleged that the officer shared close ties with the accused’s family. Surjith’s parents, Saravanan and Krishnakumari, are sub-inspectors in the police force and had worked in the same department as Pandian.
Kavin, an IT employee based in Chennai, was hacked to death in broad daylight on July 27 in KTC Nagar, Tirunelveli. Police said Surjith lured Kavin under the pretext of having a talk. Surjith took Kavin on a two-wheeler, and midway through the journey attacked him with a sickle.
The case has triggered widespread outrage, with protests erupting across the state. Amid escalating demands for justice, the Tamil Nadu Police transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID). Surjith was arrested and has been detained under the Goondas Act. His father Saravanan was arrested on July 30, while his mother Krishnakumari remains absconding. The family of the victim had refused to accept Kavin’s body until both parents were arrested.
After five days of protest and negotiations with political leaders and officials, the family finally received Kavin’s body on August 1. Minister KN Nehru and District Collector Sukumar paid their respects before the body which was taken to the family’s native town for final rites.
On August 1, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief and MP Thol Thirumavalavan visited Kavin’s family and demanded a High Court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. He also demanded Rs 1 crore compensation and police protection for the family. Thirumavalavan questioned the delay in arresting Krishnakumari despite her being named in the FIR.
Kavin belonged to the Scheduled Caste Devendra Kula Vellalar community, while Subhasini’s family belongs to the dominant Thevar community’s Maravar sub-caste, categorised as a Denotified Community in the region.
(With IANS inputs)