“My Appu is there. Can somebody call him? My Appu is there. He is there.” Haritha’s cries as she ran outside her house calling for her Appu – her husband Aneesh – are heartbreaking. But no matter how many times she calls out, Aneesh isn’t coming back. The 27-year-old man was murdered, allegedly by Haritha’s family, who were angry with their wedding, reportedly because of Aneesh’s caste and class. While Haritha's father Prabhu Kumar and her uncle Suresh have been taken into custody by the police, Aneesh’s family has now alleged that he was threatened by Haritha’s family multiple times in the past.
Haritha and Aneesh got married three months ago, and Haritha’s family was against the match. While Aneesh belongs to the Kollan community, which comes under Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Kerala, Haritha belongs to a dominant caste (Pillai). On Friday evening, Aneesh was waylaid by assailants while he was riding his bike in Manam Kalabam. Aneesh was reportedly struck with a rod while he was riding the bike and then killed with the machete. His brother, Arun was on the bike with him and witnessed the murder.
Arun told the media, "We were on a bike returning home from the shop. They (the assailants) also came by a two-wheeler. They had a metal rod and a long knife with them. They struck him using the rod. Aneesh was riding the bike. Though I tried to block them I couldn't. When they started attacking me, I ran into a shop nearby.” He said that the attackers seemed to have been waiting for them at that spot.
Speaking to TNM, Aneesh’s father Arumugan said, “After they got married, they were called to the police station, where Haritha told the police that she wants to live with Appu (Aneesh). So the police helped reach a compromise. However, that very day, Haritha's father and grandfather threatened us that the couple will not be allowed to live together for more than 90 days.”
“Today is the 90th day after their wedding," Arumugan said.
"On several occasions, their relatives have come to our house to threaten the couple,” Arumugan said. Arun added, “More than caste, their main problem was our economic status. We are very poor.”
“When I was not there, they even harmed her (Haritha). Her uncle came one day, and forcibly took her phone away. I have given a complaint to the police about this. But nobody took any action," Arumugan added.
Sujith Das, Palakkad police chief, denied any laxity on the part of the police. Palakkad Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) KM Devasia said that on December 8, police had got a complaint against Suresh (Haritha’s uncle). “The complaint said that Suresh came home drunk and made issues. Police were not lax in the case," he said, denying the family’s allegation.