The recent murder of Kavin Selvaganesh, a young engineer working at a leading Information Technology company in Chennai, by his girlfriend’s brother in Tirunelveli district has shaken Tamil Nadu. Since the victim belonged to the Scheduled Caste and his murderer hailed from the Most Backward Caste, the crime has reignited political calls for special legislation to tackle such hate crimes, often rooted in caste fanaticism.
It is, however, a misconception that such crimes occur only in remote villages or the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Even urban areas like Chennai witness such brutal acts driven by caste or class prejudice.
