A 25-year-old Dalit man and a 16-year-old girl from the Thevar community were found dead on August 5 in Kumbakkarai of Theni district. Though it is said to be a case of double suicide, police are probing if there is abetment from the side of the girl’s family. The deceased have been identified as Marimuthu, a man from the Paraiyar community, which is categorised as a Scheduled Caste (SC) in Tamil Nadu, and a 16-year-old girl from Piramalai Kallar, a subcaste of Thevar community, which is categorised as a Most Backward Class (MBC) in Tamil Nadu.
The couple, according to the man’s family, were reportedly in a relationship for the last three years. Upon a complaint from the girl's family, Marimuthu was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) and the Goondas Act. He was first arrested in 2020 after he eloped with the girl in June that year. Periyakulam police booked him und,er section 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage) of Indian Penal Code, POCSO, and Goondas Act, as the girl was only 13 years old at the time. The Goondas Act invoked against Marimuthu was revoked after he spent nearly 10 months in jail. He was released on bail on April 7, 2021.
In September 2021, Marimuthu tied a thaali to the girl. Following the 'wedding', the girl had reportedly observed customs like sindoor and toe rings that married women practise. Marimuthu was arrested a second time after the thaali ritual and spent another eight months in jail. The Theni All Women police station booked him under IPC 366, POCSO, a,nd section 9 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which stipulates the punishment for a male adult above 18 years of age contracts a child marriage.
From April 2022, Marimuthu had been on conditional bail and had to report at the local police station every day, his brother Ganesh Kumar told TNM. On August 2, the girl reportedly met Marimuthu and told him that her parents were trying to get her married to someone from her own community.
However, the girl’s parents came to know about this meeting and allegedly hit the girl, says Marimuthu’s family. They also approached the Vadakarai police station, where police personnel brought family members from both sides for a ‘peace talk’ on August 3. In the police station, the girl’s parents allegedly used casteist slurs against Marimuthu and his parents. Two days after the incident at the police station, the couple was found dead in Kumbakkarai.
The police retrieved the mortal remains of the couple and sent them for post-mortem to the Government Theni Medical College Hospital at Kanavilakku. The Vadakarai police registered two First Information Reports (FIRs) based on the complaint given by the family members of both Marimuthu and the girl, and registered a case und,er section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC,). Section 174 allows the police to prepare of an inquest report in case a person has died by suicide. Marimuthu’s family has filed a complaint detailing the dispute between the two families and the casteist slurs and atrocities they allegedly faced because of the duo’s relationship. The police have however not booked the girl’s family under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) (SC/ST PoA) Act.
After the postmortem, the girl’s mortal remains were cremated, while Marimuthu’s parents refused to accept his mortal remains. They staged a protest and urged the police to take action against the family of the girl and book a case under SC/ST (PoA) Act as they suspect their involvement in the death of the couple. Ganesh Kumar, brother of Marimuthu, told TNM that at least twice, the girl’s father and brother-in-law had visited Marmuthu’s house, used casteist slurs and threatened to kill him if he continued the relationship with the girl.
Talking to TNM, Kathir, founder of the Madurai-based NGO Evidence, said that it was a delicate situation because it involved a minor girl and that she was only 13 when she first eloped with Marimuthu. The Evidence team conducted a ground check in Theni and spoke to the family members of Marimuthu on August 8. “We strongly condemn the marriage of an underage girl. But at the same time, the police who took stringent action of booking Marimuthu under the Goondas Act failed to protect the girl who needed counselling and proper guidance,” he said.
“When police book a case und,er section 174, it is necessary for them to keep the mortal remains of the deceased. But they just let the girl’s family members cremate her body. How could they declare whether the death is the cause of suicide or murder?” he asked, adding that it is the repetition of the scenario of the Vimala Devi case. Vimala Devi was a Piramalai Kallar woman from Boothipuram of Usilampatti in Madurai, who married a man from the Dalit community. She was found dead under suspicious circumstances in her house, a day after her parents forced her to leave her husband in 2014. Her parents cremated her without intimating the police about the death.
Theni Supreindent of Police Dongare Pravin Umesh told TNM that the postmortem reports of both Marimuthu and the girl suggest that the deaths were due to suicide and that the police inquiry did not find any suicide notes or direct evidence to connect the family members of the girl to the deaths. “The DSP is conducting the investigation to know whether abetment was made by her family members or not. Another inquiry was conducted by the Revenue Divisional Official personnel to understand other factors in this case, including the age of the girl and the caste background of the duo. The report is yet to be tabled,” he added.
“Age of consent is important in such matters. We happen to see a lot of elopements where minor girls, who are above the age of 16, have consensual relationships with men who are above the age of 18. But in this case, it is very complicated as Marimuthu was 23 when he eloped with the girl who was just 12 or 13 at that time,” he said, adding that if the police find that any abetment was made, they will act on it.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.