CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) has urged the state government to classify Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi as districts with a history of honour crimes, citing a spate of alleged caste and honour killings in the region over the past two months.
The demand comes in the wake of the alleged honour killing of 19-year-old Abiselvi. According to the organisation, Abiselvi, who belonged to a backward community, had been in a relationship with Dalit youth Hariprasad for the past three years.
Condemning the incident, the organisation said it was the fifth honour killing reported in the erstwhile Tirunelveli district, comprising Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi, within a span of two months.
Referring to the Supreme Court's directions in the Shakti Vahini case and the Madras High Court's observations in the Dileep Kumar case, TNUEF said the government should identify the three districts as honour crime-prone regions and implement preventive measures on a war footing.
Calling for stronger legal safeguards, TNUEF urged the State to expedite the commission headed by retired Justice KN Basha's recommendations and enact separate legislation to prevent honour killings.