A 22-year-old woman, who was in a relationship with a man from a different caste, was allegedly murdered by her brother in Tamil Nadu. The accused, Saravanan, has confessed to killing his sister, Vidya, and then secretly burying her body with the help of their parents, police confirmed to TNM. The crime came to light only after police exhumed the body, acting on suspicions raised by Vidya's partner and the Village Administrative Officer (VAO).
Vidya, a Master’s student at Coimbatore Government College, hailed from Paruvai village near Palladam in Tiruppur district. She had been in a relationship for three years with Venmani, a student from the same college. Vidya belonged to the Navithar caste, while Venmani is from the Kulalar caste—both classified as Most Backward Class (MBC). It is learnt that Venmani had visited Vidya’s home a few days ago to seek her family’s consent for their marriage. However, her parents, Thandapani and Thangamani, opposed the inter-caste relationship.
According to the police, on March 30, Vidya’s parents returned home from a temple visit and found her dead. Saravanan had allegedly inflicted severe head injuries on her, and her body was discovered under a toppled desk. The police said that instead of informing the authorities, the family buried her in a nearby burial ground with the help of some close relatives.
Venmani reportedly grew suspicious when Vidya stopped responding to his calls. Upon making inquiries, he learned of her death and subsequently filed a complaint at the Kamanaickenpalayam police station, demanding an investigation. Forensic experts were sent to Vidya’s house, but it remains unclear how her parents initially explained her death or whether they claimed it was due to natural causes. Police have declined to comment on this aspect of the case.
Meanwhile, Paruvai’s VAO, Poongodi, also lodged a complaint regarding Vidya’s death. Based on this, police registered a case and decided to exhume the body in the presence of taluk and Revenue Department officials.
According to reports, doctors from the Tiruppur District Government Hospital conducted a post-mortem at the burial site on March 31, confirming that Vidya had died due to severe head injuries.
Police said that Saravanan confessed to killing her during interrogation because she was in a relationship with someone from another caste. The parents’ role in the murder is still being investigated.
Several anti-caste organisations have long demanded special state legislation against such ‘honour’ killings—a term often used for murders motivated by supremacist ideas of caste, class, gender, sexuality, or religion. It is expected that such a law would address gaps left by existing legal provisions. In this case, for example, despite caste being the apparent motive for the crime, the Prevention of Atrocities (PoA) Act for Scheduled Castes (SC) or Scheduled Tribes (ST) will not be applicable, since neither Vidya nor Venmani belong to a Dalit or ST community.
A people’s draft Bill for a special ‘honour’ killing law was submitted to Chief Minister Stalin in 2022 by the Dalit Human Rights Defender Network. In 2024, the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front’s (TNUEF) organised a rally demanding such legislation, arguing that the PoA Act alone has not been sufficient to protect Dalits and Adivasis.
However, also in 2024, Stalin said in the state Assembly that there was no need for such special legislation.
Read: Anti-caste coalition has drafted a Bill to end ‘honour’ killings: Here’s what it says