Around 300 families of Arumugamangalam are about 300 families near the coast of Tamirbharani in the Roathukudi district of southern Tamil Nadu. Since last Sunday (July 27), however, the residents have lost sleep, have visited the village of Nandscript otherwise with senior ministers, politicians, top police officers, and leaders of caste organizations. The trips followed a cold blood murder, which stems from a love affair, including a boy from Scheduled Castes and an intermediate caste girl. For some, it was a crime that was entitled to punishment.
Victim, c. Kavin Selvaganesh’s father Chandrashekhar, to take care of his farm, lives in Arumugamangalam, 25 km from the district headquarters of Thathukudi. His family of the trio – wife Tamilselvi, Anantamadan Pacheri, a teacher from Pacheri, near Roathukudi, and sons Kavin and Praveen – Muin – Roathukudi. After completing his SSLC at a school in Chidambara city, Thuthukudi, Kavin moved to a higher secondary school on Milvitan Road on the outskirts of the city. It was here that she met her classmate Subhashini, who was the daughter of two policemen.
“He was good friends since his scold, and caste was not so important for him,” says Praveen.
Mature in love
After Class XII, Kavin joined BE Civil Engineering (2017-21) course, which was in a private engineering college in Nalatinpudur near Kovilpatti in Thatukudi district. Meanwhile, Subhashini realized her dream of becoming a perfect doctor after studying at Coimbatore-based private Siddha Medical College.
The couple remained in touch during their college days. After completing his civil engineering degree with a gold medal, Kavin joined a construction firm in Coimbatore. Then, he switched to information technology, secured a job in a Chennai-based multinational company, with a significant salary package.
Subhashini, whose parents had gone from Thoothukudi to the neighboring Tirunelveli, began to practice perfect medicine in a private hospital in KTC city of Palayakottai. By this time, their friendship developed in love.
When Kavin’s mother came to know about this, she warned her against continuing the affair as Subhashini belongs to a most backward caste and belongs to the Scheduled Castes, a union that will not be any from the girl. However, Kavin ignored the warning and continued his relationship.
Police said that Subhashini’s younger brother Surjeet, a B.Com. Graduates and athletes, on May 30, came to know about the relationship and informed his parents Saravanan and Krishnakumari. Police said the police said they were in a relationship when his parents questioned him.
One reason she hid her love that Kavin had requested her to wait for six and months as she wanted to move forward in her career.
Kavin shared his mother’s concern with Subhashini and spoke to Tamilselvi over the phone to overcome her fear. Nevertheless, around 3 pm on July 27, the mother’s worst fear came true. That day, Tamilsalvi’s father Muthumalai suffered a head injury. Kavin took her to the hospital where Subhashini works. Tamilsalvi and his younger brother went to the hospital with him, where Subhashini explained to him about the line of treatment.
Meanwhile, as Kavin stepped out, Surajith was waiting for him. Both left Sarjith’s bike, Pilian on Kavin.
Only when the conversation between Subhashini and Tamilsalvi ended, did he realize that Kavin was not there. His frequent efforts to contact him failed as he did not join the call.
Subhashini asked him to have lunch and assured him that when he returned, he would send Kavin back home. However, he never returned.
Attacked with mawt
Police said Surjeet had stopped the bike and hacked him with a match. The victim’s relatives say that after spraying chili powder on Kavin’s face, Surjeet hacked him. Kavin died on the spot, with four sharp cuts on the neck and head.
Passengers and residents alerted the Palayakottai police, who immediately measured Surjeet. Apart from Surjeet, the first information report nominated Deputy Superintendents Saravanan and Krishnakumari as the second and third accused. Saravanan was arrested on the night of 30 July.
“Krishnakumari is yet to be arrested. We have demanded the transfer of the case to the CBI,” says SR Ramachandran, Advocate of Thethukudi, who is working with the family of the deceased.
While the principles were deployed that Kavin and Subhashini were just friends, some pictures have come out on social media, which display the bond between them. To speculate to rest, the girl released a video in which she unevenly admitted that she was in love with Kavin. In the same breath, he said that his parents were innocent and did not know about Surjeet’s plan to kill Kavin.
Shell-Shouled: Arumugamangalam, located near the coast of Tamirbharani in the Roathukudi district of Southern Tamil Nadu, is a sleeping haemlet. It has about 300 families. After the murder of Kavin Selvaganesh, its residents have been left in shock. , Photo Credit: N. Rajesh
The leaders of caste organizations and caste-based political parties are protesting in support of the bereaved family and ‘demanding justice for Kavin’.
“This barbaric offense continues as there is no drunkian law to crush this evil. Since ‘caste murder’ is a national issue, the Central Government, according to the guidelines of the Supreme Court, should apply a law with strict provisions to eradicate the killings of Scheduled Castes by other communities in the name of caste.” Thirumavalavan, who met the family in Arumugamangalam on 31 July. He also demanded the constitution of a separate government agency to stamp caste killings.
Puthia Thumjagam’s young wing leader, K. Shyam, the founder of the party. Krishnasamy’s sons, there are more stringent provisions to uproot the killings of the caste, there are also bats for a law. He urges the state government not to post a particular most backward community members, especially collectors, Superintendents of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police and Revenue Officers.
“Since Scheduled Castes always occur at the end of the aggression of this particular community, the government should not post this caste officials already communally sensitive in Southern Tamil Nadu, where many caste clashes took place in the past,” they say.
A. Kathir, Executive Director, Evidence, a Madurai -based NGO, says that recently caste killing is another example of how Tamil society has been entangled in a system of graded inequality.
While the killings of other caste were staged by people with a conservative mentality, it was committed by an urban surrounding young man, he says.
Pointing to complexity in such murders, he says that these incidents happen within the same castes. “When a person of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes suffers, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act can be invited, but what can be done when the victim belongs to the backward class or most backward classes, or both the victims and the accused are from the Scheduled Castes.”
He says about 51 murders related to caste violence have been registered between 2017 and 2025, and the sentence rate is less than 1%.
‘Need for exclusive law’
Emphasizing the need for a particular task to deal with the killings related to caste or gender or class, he says that after one year of studies and research, a group of activists prepared a draft for a special act, titled The Freedom of Marriage and Association and Honor of Honor Act, Prohibition of Offenses in the names of 2022.
The framework was analyzed after the modus operandi and social structure and practices in every state. This draft should be introduced in Parliament for discussion, he said.
“Chief Minister MK Stalin, when in the opposition, promised that his government would pass an act to prevent honors crimes, but it has not been done yet,” he says.
Meanwhile, if the guidelines were determined by the Supreme Court Shakti Vahini vs Union of India Strictly followed, these crimes can be stopped in caste-defined Tamil society, Sri Kathir says.
In Kavin’s murder, the inspector who registered the case was from the same community as the accused. “Although I do not want to blame the entire police department, for better policing and law and order, police officers posted in an area should not belong to the main caste there,” they say.
Henry Tiphen, human rights activist and Executive Director of People’s Watch, alleging that the police personnel are among the accused in the case; Therefore, his arrest is delayed. He said, “Anyone involved should be arrested immediately, and the case should be intensified to ensure rapid punishment.”
