Elopement sparks tension in 2 hamlets
Police tightened security around Janappa Chatram village on Wednesday to prevent untoward incidents following the elopement of a PMK worker’s daughter with a Dalit man and the subsequent suicide of the party cadre.
The family of the PMK activist Dhanaravi (45), who committed suicide refused to claim the body or allow an autopsy even 24 hours after the incident.
Prior to Dhanaravi’s daughter Vishnupriya’s elopement, his niece Ramya too had married a Dalit man from Athipettai in a similar fashion and there was tension in the village already. Incidentally, Ranjith (20), with whom Vishnupriya eloped, hails from Athipettai.
Janappa Chatram Koot Road Junction wore a deserted look as a majority of the shops remained shut. Residents of Janappa Chatram, a Vanniyar dominated village, congregated in a marriage hall to deliberate on the next course of action.
PMK flags in Jaganatha-puram and Jaganathapuram Chatram villages were flown at half-mast with the youth wearing black badges mourning Dhanaravi’s death.
In view of the situation, police strengthed security cover to Athipettai and extra protection was arranged around Ranjith’s house.
Tiruvallur SP Rupesh
Kumar Meena told Express that he had inspected the security arrangements. He said the police were on the look out for the eloped couple and added that the family of the deceased had refused to accept the body until their location was disclosed.
The last known location of the couple was Vellore, which was established through the mobile phone tower locations, sources said.
Meanwhile, Sholavaram unit PMK secretary Dilli Babu told Express that the party was waiting for police to take action on a complaint lodged against Ranjith, his family and friends for aiding the elopement.
“Unless action is taken on the complaint, we will not accept the body,” he said.
On Tuesday, the residents of the village had staged a road-roko for about two hours on Janappa Chatram Koot Road Junction before allowing the police to move Dhanaravi’s body to Government Stanley Medical College Hospital for post-mortem on Tuesday.
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