Caste Prejudice Ends in Tragedy: The Murder of IT Professional Kavin Selvaganesh

New Delhi Chronicle Staff Reporter

Chennai : In a chilling episode of caste-driven violence, 27-year-old IT engineer Kavin Selvaganesh, hailing from the Scheduled Caste (Pallar community), was brutally murdered by Surjith, a member of the Most Backward Class (Mukkulathor community). The motive? Kavin dared to love — he was in a relationship with Surjith’s sister, defying rigid social norms and triggering one of the most recent cases of “honour” killing in Tamil Nadu.

This tragedy once again exposes the entrenched intersections of caste violence and patriarchal control in modern India. Though often framed as a relic of cultural tradition, such crimes still erupt today, revealing deep-rooted inequalities that persist across communities. National Crime Records Bureau data indicates that from 2020 to 2022, at least 76 so-called honour killings took place nationwide—likely an undercount due to under-reporting and the involvement of perpetrators’ families.

Activists and rights groups have intensified calls for stronger legislation to criminalize “honour”-based violence. Though two draft bills—the 2012 Law Commission proposal and the 2022 draft by the Centre for Law and Policy Research—outline legal frameworks, critics argue they fall short in recognizing the asymmetrical nature of caste oppression. These drafts fail to offer targeted protections to the most vulnerable groups and often treat all communities as equally capable of perpetrating such atrocities.

Meanwhile, powerful political voices and civil rights bodies have spoken out. VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan condemned mainstream parties for their silence, stressing that only those committed to social justice have the courage to address caste killings. The Tamil Nadu State Commission for SC/STs, in the wake of Kavin’s murder, offered ₹6 lakh in compensation and urged immediate legal reforms to prevent future caste-based crimes.

The CB-CID has taken charge of the investigation. Arrests include Surjith (detained under the stringent Goondas Act), and two police sub-inspectors—his parents—have been booked, with his mother suspended from duty. Kavin’s body was released to his family after five days, following their demand for justice.

This tragic incident is not isolated. Comparable cases—such as the infamous Udumalai Shankar honour killing—demonstrate how caste-based hate crimes continue to haunt Tamil Nadu, underscoring the urgent need for both societal change and robust legal reform.