TIRUCHY: An inter-caste couple approached the Collector here on Monday seeking protection from the bride’s parents who have been repeatedly threatening the duo.
S Sushmitha (18) a backward class (Udayar) girl who was studying in a private college in the Tiruchy, had an affair with an auto driver Sathyaraj (25) who belongs to the most backward community (Ottar) for more than an year. Sushmitha wished to finish her studies before getting married. Sushmitha’s parents though had other plans.
They arranged her marriage with a 40-year-old man and their betrothal was scheduled to be on June 1. Sushmitha informed the groom about her affair but he asked her to sever contact with Sathyaraj.
Subsequently, she left her house and stayed at her friend’s house. The parents of Sushmitha – Chandrasekar and Akila, with the support of their relatives, allegedly assaulted Sathyaraj’s mother Chinnaponnu and her younger brother Manikandan to find the whereabouts of Sushmitha.
On June 8, Sathyaraj tied the knot at Sushmitha at a temple and later, they registered their marriage in the district registrar’s office.
The parents of Sushmitha contacted her and allegedly threatened to kill both her husband and her.
The couple lodged a complaint with the Superintendent of police who directed the complaint to Lalgudi police station where the parents of Sushmitha were called on to give a written consent to spare them.
“However, they continue to call me and threaten to kill me and my husband. So we approached the Collector to protect us from my parents,” Sushmitha said.
