In Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, a 26-year-old man was brutally murdered in front of his wife on Tuesday, allegedly due to his marriage, which had been opposed by her family. The victim, M. Karthik Pandian, a mechanic residing in Indira Nagar within the Srivillipudur municipality, was attacked with a sharp weapon by his wife's relatives.
Police have arrested three suspects in connection with the murder, including two of the victim's brothers-in-law. The murder took place when Karthik Pandian went to pick up his wife, Nandhini, from the supermarket where she works.
Eight months ago, Karthik Pandian and Nandhini had married against the wishes of her family. Karthik's parents were from the Asari and Thevar castes, both classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC). Despite the opposition, the couple had been living together in Virudhunagar, where Pandian ran a two-wheeler workshop, according to a report on India Today.
On July 24, as Karthik Pandian arrived at the supermarket in Sivakasi to pick up his wife, he was ambushed by her relatives. The attack was so severe that when police arrived on the scene and rushed him to Virudhunagar District Hospital, he was declared dead upon arrival.
The police have registered a case against Nandhini's brothers, Balamurugan and Dhanabalamurugan, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the accused, who are currently at large.
As the couple were from the same community, Virudhunagar Superintendent of Police K. Feroze Khan Abdullah has clarified that the murder should not be classified as a "caste killing", as per a report on The Print. Though the couple were married eight months ago and did not receive any threat from the family, suddenly the family members plotted against them allegedly since Nandhini's sister also married a man against the wishes of the family.