Girl’s parents take away son’s mother after couple elopes; case booked

Chennai, DHNS: In an unusual twist to an inter-caste love story, the parents of the girl took away the mother of the boy in a bid to force the couple, who eloped, to return home from hiding. The incident took place in Dharmapuri, a backward district in Tamil Nadu known for caste-related violence, on Wednesday when a 24-year-old man and his 23-year-old girlfriend eloped from their homes after both their parents opposed their relationship. 

While the boy is from the Dalit community, the girl belongs to the dominant and entrepreneurial Gounder caste. A senior police officer told DH that the girl’s parents along with their relatives went and gheraoed the boy’s house in a village near Morappur in the district on Wednesday (August 14) morning. 

“In the melee, the girl’s parents took away the boy’s mother much to the shock of everyone in the village. However, the boy’s mother returned home late on Wednesday evening after being let off by those who took her away,” the officer said. 

He also said a case has been registered under various sections of the Prevention of Atrocities (SC/ST) Act against the girl’s parents and their relatives. “We registered the case late Wednesday (August 14) night. We are investigating the case and we will take action,” the officer added. 

The boy and the girl, who studied and are now working in Bengaluru, have been in a relationship for some time and eloped from their homes on Wednesday morning. Though the girl’s parents have filed a case against the boy, police are unlikely to take action against him since both are majors. 

“We have received a complaint but the couple is missing. We will trace them. Prima facie, it appears, they have been in a relationship,” the officer said. The girl’s parents suspected that the boy would have had a role after they came to know that their daughter was missing and that’s the reason they went to the boy’s house, the officer added.

Dharmapuri is known for clashes between Vanniyar and Dalit communities – in 2012, an inter-caste relationship between Ilavarasan and Divya, hailing from Dalit and Vanniyar communities, set off a series of clashes between the two castes.