Tamil Nadu village grieves after killing linked to inter-caste relationship

Residents of Arumugamangalam in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district have been mourning the murder of Kavin Selvaganesh, a young man whose relationship with a woman from another caste preceded his death. The village, near the Tamirabharani river, has about 300 families. According to The Hindu, politicians, senior Ministers, police officers and caste-group leaders visited the settlement after the killing, which brought renewed attention to caste-related violence in the region.

Kavin belonged to a Scheduled Caste. He had grown up in a family connected to farming and education and had attended school in Thoothukudi. There, he met classmate S.

Subhashini, whose parents were police sub-inspectors. The relationship later became central to the case. Kavin was murdered in Tirunelveli on July 27, 2025.

Subhashini’s younger brother, Surjith, was arrested on a murder charge. His cousin Jayapal and his parents were later named as co-accused, according to the report. The case prompted a strong reaction in Arumugamangalam.

Kavin’s family initially refused to accept his body and demanded the arrest of the alleged killer’s parents. They relented after Surjith was detained under the Goondas Act and his father was arrested. The Hindu described the killing as stemming from a relationship between a Scheduled Caste boy and a woman from an intermediate caste.

The report said the events had brought Ministers, political figures, police officials and caste organisations to the village. The case remains the subject of legal proceedings. A later Madras High Court order addressed charges against Surjith’s parents, while the case against other accused people continued in different forms.