Court orders police protection to the petitioner, until investigation is completed
Honor killing incident had taken place at Usilampatti taluk of Madurai in October
Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered a CBI probe into the alleged ‘honour’ killing of Vimala Devi, 21, by her parents and relatives for marrying a Dalit boy in Usilampatti taluk of Madurai in October The court has also ordered police protection to the petitioner, until the completion of the investigation. On a writ petition from her husband, B. Dilipkumar, Justice V. Ramasubramanian said the police is still investigating the cause of death. This was “a mere bogey created to hoodwink the court.” There were glaring contradictions in the version of events as stated by the police.
The judge said the police had booked the couple for a pending case in Madras high court and taken them to Usilampatti police station. When they reached the station, without being informed, a group of people had already reached there to create law and order problems. Despite caste tension in the villages of the couple, the woman was allowed to be sent with her grandmother.
The police, who conducted initial investigation, denied that it was an ‘honour’ killing and only abetment of suicide. In the petition, Dilipkumar sought a CBI inquiry and action against errant police officials who had allegedly colluded with her wife’s relatives. He also requested for police protection and suitable compensation.
Justice Ramasubramanian said the statement from parents of Vimala was contrary to the sequence of events narrated by the woman SI, Anandhi, of Vathalagundu police station. “It was clear that the local police at Usilampatti and Vathlagundu had laid a blueprint to get the woman separated and hand her over to her parents.”The police investigation did not inspire confidence and there was a possibility of their complicity in the crime. Despite this, the state government did not initiate any steps to investigate the matter.
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