Tension prevailed in Sholavaram, about 60 km from here, as a Caste Hindu girl’s father committed suicide after she eloped with a Dalit youth on Tuesday night.
Police said 18-year-old engineering student Diya (name changed), a resident of Janapanthapuram, reportedly eloped with her 20-year-old boyfriend from a Scheduled Caste community in the afternoon. Her father lodged a complaint with Sholavaram police station against the boy and allegedly consumed poison after reaching home.
He died around 8 pm, police said. His relatives brought the body to Koot Road and resorted to a road roko, which lasted for over an hour.
Police personnel rushed to the spot and held talks with the protestors.
The relatives allowed the police to move the body to the Government Hospital for post-mortem after getting assurances on necessary action.
It may be recalled that a similar incident in Dharmapuri earlier this year, in which a Dalit youth Ilavarasan and a Vanniyar girl Divya eloped, triggered a series of clashes after the girl’s father committed suicide. Months later, Ilavarasan was found dead on the railway track in Dharmapuri.