Chennai: Sharmila’s neighbour Valli remembered the 20-year-old thus: “Even when she would be surrounded by some 10 people, she felt alone, always looking at his picture on the mobile.”
“You know how cruel it is to be lonely, even when you are surrounded by so many people.”
On 24 February, Sharmila’s husband Praveen was killed allegedly by members of her family opposed to their inter-caste marriage. Less than two months later, Sharmila, too, was no more.
A resident of Pallikaranai on the outskirts of Chennai, Sharmila belonged to the Vanniyar community, a Most Backward Community (MBC). Also a resident of Pallikaranai, Praveen belonged to the Adi Dravidar community, a Scheduled Caste (SC). She was pursuing her BBA at a private arts college and he earned his living as a mechanic.
Going against the wishes of Sharmila’s parents, the couple entered into wedlock last October by means of a self-respect marriage — a marriage not solemnised by a Brahmin priest or through a mangalsutra.
According to the police, Praveen was on his way to buy dinner on 24 February when he was attacked and killed allegedly by a group of five led by Sharmila’s elder brother Dinesh. All of the five accused were subsequently arrested and remanded in judicial custody.
Praveen’s mother G. Chitra is now demanding a Crime Branch CID (CB-CID) inquiry into his murder. “She (Sharmila) was so angry at her parents for spoiling her life. At the time only she received a summons over the bail application moved by her parents for her brother Dinesh, who killed Praveen,” said Chitra.
A suicide note purportedly written by Sharmila and recovered by the police alleged her parents Duraikumar and Sarala along with brothers Dinesh and Naresh were responsible for Praveen’s murder.
Varun, an advocate appearing for Praveen’s family, said they were demanding a CB-CID probe since the police had not charged other members of Sharmila’s family for Praveen’s murder.
However, her elder brother Naresh claimed the handwriting on the suicide note did not match Sharmila’s. He also said that the family has filed a complaint with the police to inquire into her death.
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‘How can they be so cruel?’
On the side lane of Ambedkar Street in Pallikaranai is the house where Praveen and Sharmila spent four months as husband and wife. It now wore a deserted look with a few relatives waiting under a shamiyana (tent) as Sharmila’s in-laws completed formalities pertaining to her autopsy.
“How do I get over this? They killed my son and now they have taken over my daughter’s (daughter-in-law) life as well. How can they be so cruel? If their (Sharmila’s family) caste is so important, they could have left them (the couple) alone and they would’ve been living happily,” lamented Chitra, as neighbours consoled her.
She added that she was yet to come to terms with her daughter-in-law’s death since according to her, Sharmila ‘did not show any sign’ that could have alerted the family about her mental state.
“We did not even think along those lines. She was pursuing her BBA final year. Though she was sad, we ensured she was always being supported by one person or the other. Just a month ago she said she would go to college and appear for her exams. We also paid the exam fees and on 15 April she was supposed to write her exams, but she attempted to kill herself on 14 April,” recalled Chitra.
Sharmila’s brother-in-law G. Mohan said she was happier at their family home than when she went to her mother’s home. “We are not saying this; she said it in front of the media when my brother was killed. She even shared it with me. They tortured her so much just because she was in a relationship with my brother,” he said.
Autopsy report, bail application
Referring to the time Sharmila read Praveen’s autopsy report, Chitra told ThePrint, “She (Sharmila) happened to read Praveen’s autopsy report while giving a witness statement before the police. It disturbed her so much. She used to cry saying how much pain Ashiq (another name for Praveen) would have undergone. But, we tried all we could and she was also slowly recovering. She said she wanted to finish her degree, go for a driving class to be able to drive her husband’s car.”
Praveen’s family members allege that the bail application filed by Sharmila’s father on behalf of her brother allegedly drove her to take the extreme step.
“On the evening of 11 April, we received a summons to appear for the bail hearing of two of the five accused in my son’s killing. The hearing was on 12 April. On receiving the summons, she learnt it was her father who applied for bail for Dinesh, Sharmila’s elder brother. She was so furious. Though we appeared for the hearing, none of them from the accused’s side and the government side appeared for the case. She started growing suspicious of the police probe,” said Chitra.
Two days later, on 14 April, Sharmila allegedly attempted suicide at the couple’s house on Ambedkar Street. She was rushed to a private hospital and later shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai where she succumbed on 22 April.
Asked about allegations of police inaction, Pallikaranai police inspector Nedumaran maintained that the probe into Praveen’s death was carried out as per procedure and was in no way biassed.
According to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, between 2017 and 2021, as many as 203 cases of murder were filed in Tamil Nadu where the victims had entered into inter-caste marriages.
If you are feeling suicidal or depressed, please call a helpline number in your state.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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