Dalit IT engineer murdered: Filmmaker Pa. Ranjith said- Tamil Nadu government should declare these districts as ‘atrocity-sensitive areas’

In Tamil Nadu, basic legal protocols such as promptly registering a First Information Report (FIR) on SC/ST-related complaints and handing over the investigation to a Deputy Superintendent of Police are often not followed, as the Madras High Court also pointed out recently.

Published on: 31 Jul 2025, 1:32 am

Tirunelveli – Neelam Cultural Center founder and filmmaker Pa. Ranjith has strongly condemned the Tamil Nadu government and police for their inaction in the face of increasing atrocities on Dalits and Bahujans in the state. A recent case was the brutal honor killing of 27-year-old Dalit software engineer Kavin Selvaganesh on July 27 in Tirunelveli. Ranjith has demanded a transparent investigation, immediate arrests and declaration of districts like Tirunelveli, Sivagangai, Pudukottai and Thoothukudi as “atrocity-sensitive areas” under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Kavin was the son of Tamilselvi and Chandrasekhar, a government school teacher couple from Arumugamangalam in Eral taluk of Thoothukudi district. Kavin was murdered in broad daylight near his house by the brother of his girlfriend Subhashini, who works in a private hospital in Tirunelveli. Subhashini’s parents, Saravanan and Krishnaveni, both police personnel, objected to the relationship. When the two continued with the relationship despite their objections, Subhashini’s brother Surjeet attacked Kavin fatally, resulting in his death.