TN Police arrest couple in 'honour' killing case, suspend cop

Chennai, Jan 11 (IANS) A 50-year-old man and his wife have been arrested in a suspected case of honour killing involving their 19-year-old daughter who had married a Dalit youth, said officials, adding that a police inspector has been suspended.

P. Perumal and his wife Roja (45) were arrested by Vattathikkottai police in Thanjavur district for killing their daughter Iswarya (19) for marrying her lover, Naveen (19), who is a Dalit.

Police said that Iswarya and Naveen were in school together and had fallen in love. After school they both joined a hosiery factory in Tirupur district and later got married in a local temple. As Naveen was under marriageable age, the marriage didn't have a legal sanctity.

The marriage was conducted on December 31 and Perumal had filed a missing persons complaint with the police who traced her to their rented house in Tiruppur district where she was living with Naveen.

The Palladam police inspector Murugaiah handed Iswarya to her parents on January 2 and told Naveen that she was willing to go with her parents.

Prosecution charged that Iswarya was subjected to heavy physical assault by her father and she succumbed to her injuries on January 3 early morning. Perumal later hung the body from the ceiling to make it as a case of suicide. He and his family then took the body to the cremation ground.

Naveen filed a complaint with the Vattathikkottai police, which on investigation found that Iswarya was murdered and body cremated. This led to the arrest of Perumal and Roja. Police were also inquiring about some relatives of Perumal and Roja for aiding the crime.

Palladam police inspector Murugaiah was suspended following a complaint from Naveen that the inspector handed over Iswarya to her father without thinking of any consequences.