Parents, Sister Commit Suicide Because Son Marries Outside Community

INDIA- Three members of a family from Kerala were found dead near a railway track at Udumalaipettai in Tirupur district on Tuesday. The couple and their daughter allegedly committed suicide after their son married a girl against their wishes.

According to the police, the family was dejected after their son Pandiarajan fell in love with a woman and married her. 48-year-old Murugan and his wife 42-year-old Muthulakshmi are Tamilians, who are residents of Kandalur in Kerala.

They came to Tirupur to meet their 23-year-old daughter Banupriya, whom they took with them to a nearby railway station. They then consumed poison and died.

"The family consists of daily wage workers and belong to the OBC community. The boy seems to have married a woman outside their community leading to this drastic decision," says an investigating official. He couldn't however confirm the caste of the woman involved. "We will know further details once the interrogation is done," he added. 

Pandiarajan reportedly lives in Tirupur with his wife. The Railway police have been informed about the incident as the area falls under their jurisdiction.

On 12 December, a court in the same district had sentenced six people to death for murdering a Dalit man who had married a caste Hindu woman. 

The judgement was meant to be a precedent against opposition towards inter caste marriages.

Sankar, was killed by men hired by the Kausalya's father after he realised that she was not ready to come back to their house. 

(The article was published in an arrangement with The News Minute)