7 months ago
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After months of inaction, the DMK authorities successful Tamil Nadu, nether unit from its allies — the CPI, CPI(M), and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) — has yet agreed to see authorities targeting caste-based hatred crimes and alleged ‘honour’ killings.
Inter-caste couples, particularly those involving a Scheduled Caste (SC), often look deadly backlash successful Tamil Nadu, wherever caste pridefulness has fuelled galore killings. The astir sensational lawsuit precocious was the sidesplitting of Kavin Selvaganesh, a young bundle professional, by the member of the miss helium loved. Kavin belonged to a SC community, portion the miss was from a ascendant Hindu community.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had earlier argued that a abstracted instrumentality to woody with specified crimes was not necessary, arsenic existing laws were adequate. However, past week, portion speaking connected the level of the State Assembly, helium announced that a Commission headed by retired Madras High Court judge, Justice K.N. Basha, would beryllium constituted. The Commission of respective experts volition clasp consultations and taxable recommendations to the authorities connected enacting legislation. This determination has efficaciously bought the authorities immoderate much clip connected a highly delicate issue, particularly with Assembly elections scheduled adjacent year. As the State authorities cannot instrumentality a determination connected enacting a instrumentality without taking assorted stakeholders into confidence, it is near to the Commission to germinate a statement earlier making its recommendations.
There are 2 types of killings successful the sanction of upholding caste pride: portion immoderate impact sidesplitting members of one’s ain household oregon community, others impact killings members of different assemblage to avenge the perceived insult to one’s ain caste pride.
P. Shanmugam, caput of the Tamil Nadu portion of the CPI(M), said since 2016, his enactment had fought for justness successful 118 specified cases. “There whitethorn beryllium an adjacent fig of unreported oregon suppressed cases,” said Mr. Shanmugam, who, on with the leaders of the CPI and the VCK, met Mr. Stalin to property for a law. The CPI(M) has besides launched Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front to transportation guardant its run against casteism. Mr. Shanmugam said Mr. Stalin’s announcement was a measurement forward.
The statement against a abstracted instrumentality to forestall sidesplitting for honour is that it could beryllium misused. It is not conscionable the DMK; astir governmental parties are incapable to instrumentality a wide basal connected the substance for fearfulness of alienating their enactment base, particularly among politically and economically empowered intermediate communities. Whenever specified killings instrumentality place, governmental parties enactment soundless oregon respond cautiously.
The deaths of Ilavarasan (2013), Shankar (2016), and Ramachandran (2025) person intensified the request for a abstracted legislation. That specified a request had to beryllium made repeatedly successful a State known for societal justness is shocking. Periyar, the laminitis of the Dravidar Kazhagam, waged a warfare against casteism and encouraged inter-caste and self-respect marriages, without immoderate rituals. When the DMK authorities headed by C.N. Annadurai came to power, it modified the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, by inserting Section 7-A to legalise inter-caste marriages. In March 2025, the Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration, P. Moorthy, said that 12,114 self-respect marriages had been registered successful the State since 2018. He said steps were being taken to guarantee the registration of self-respect marriages nether Section 7-A of the Act astatine each sub-registrar offices successful Tamil Nadu.
A State that enacted a instrumentality to legalise self-respect marriages cannot look to bring itself to enact a instrumentality to support couples marrying extracurricular their community; this speaks volumes astir the powerfulness of intermediate communities. It is not that each inter-caste marriages are targeted, but marriages involving SCs trigger deadly responses. It besides exposes the harsh world that, contempt Tamil Nadu’s urbanisation and advancement successful galore fields, marrying a Dalit remains taboo. This is simply a reflection of deep-rooted caste identities and the pridefulness inactive tied to one’s caste.
Instead of showing courageousness successful dealing with this reality, governmental parties alternatively reenforce caste identities done their electoral strategies and Cabinet formation. They tract candidates based connected assemblage demographics and adjacent proudly authorities that they person honoured a assemblage by accommodating much representatives from it. In a way, they person made caste individuality each the much relevant.
