THOOTHUKUDI: A Dalit couple was murdered by an armed five-member gang in the wee hours of Thursday in a suspected case of ‘honour’ killing. Police have arrested the girl’s father suspecting him of having plotted the murder. Police say 23-year-old T Solairaj of Kulathur and 20-year-old S Petchiammal alias Jothi were in love and got married on April 15.
The duo met at a salt pan where they were working as labourers for a short while. Jothi’s family did not accept the relationship as Solairaj hails from a community considered lower in status than theirs, though both are classified under the Scheduled Caste category.
Sources said that due to a power outage, the couple was sleeping outside their house in Periyar Colony on Wednesday night when a gang of 5-6 persons brutally hacked them with sharp weapons. There were deep cuts on the heads of both Solairaj and Jothi.
Solai’s mother Muthumari found the couple dead on Thursday morning. Muthumari’s husband died when Solai was just four. “I couldn’t afford to educate him much. But he became a painter, and was the only person earning an income in our family.” Karpagam, who is related to Jothi, says the deceased was two months pregnant.
The bodies have been sent to Thoothukudi medical college for postmortem, and police sources say they can confirm if the girl was pregnant only after seeing the report. Four teams have been formed to nab the culprits while Jothi’s father has been arrested by the Kovilpatti police for further inquiry.Irate relatives of Solairaj laid siege to the hospital demanding relief.