Chennai Caste Killing: Two Months After Dalit Man's Murder, Wife Dies by Suicide

"Sharmila was inconsolable for weeks. She lost her husband at such a young age," Praveen's mother told The Quint.

(Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide, casteist violence. Reader discretion is advised.)

Two months after G Praveen, a 22-year-old Dalit man, was allegedly hacked to death by his brother-in-law and four others – in a suspected case of caste killing – his wife Sharmila died at a government hospital in Tamil Nadu's Chennai on Monday, 22 April, following an alleged suicide attempt.

According to Praveen's family, Sharmila, 21, allegedly attempted suicide on 14 April and was undergoing treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. She passed away at around 7:10 pm on Monday.

"Since Praveen's death, she (Sharmila) was lifeless. We were trying to move on, but never did we think she would end her life. All this has happened due to caste. Is our caste important than our lives?" Praveen's mother Chitra (43), a homemaker, told The Quint over a telephonic conversation on 23 April.

In a written complaint submitted to the Tambaram Commissioner just hours before Sharmila's death on 22 April, Chitra claimed that her daughter-in-law attempted suicide as she was "distressed" due to alleged police negligence and sought a CB-CID probe into Praveen's death.

Police officials confirmed to The Quint that they took cognisance of the complaint and are investigating the circumstances leading to Sharmila's alleged suicide bid.

'She Was Destroyed After His Death...'

In October 2023, Praveen, a car mechanic based in Chennai's Pallikaranai, and Sharmila, a fourth-year college student, had eloped and got married, as the latter's family disapproved of their inter-caste marriage.

While Praveen belonged to the Paraiyar caste, which comes under the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, Sharmila belonged to the Yadhava caste, which comes under Other Backward Class (OBC).

He was allegedly murdered on 24 February by Sharmila's elder brother Dinesh (24), Sriram (18), Stefen Kumar (24), Jothi Linga (25), and Vishnu Raj (25). His murder was arguably one of the first cases of caste killings in Chennai in recent times.

The accused were booked under Sections 302 (Murder) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 3(2)(V) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act). You can read more about the case here.

Speaking to The Quint then, Sharmila had said:

"What happened to me and my family is torture. I don't want any other inter-caste couple to face this. We need justice for what has happened. I want my brother and the other accused to rot in jail. They should suffer every single day until their death, just like how my Praveen suffered in his last moments. Only if this happens, will it set an example for other people who want to engage in caste hatred and violence...

According to Praveen's family, Sharmila continued to live with them in Pallikaranai. She was unable to cope with the loss of her husband, they said.

"Praveen was Sharmila's everything. She lost her husband at such a young age. She remained inconsolable for weeks. She would not eat properly. Her health was also getting affected. We were all in a mess till March. We did not know what to do about it. For me and my husband, Sharmila was our daughter. We treated her the same way we treated Praveen. She would call us her amma (mother) and appa (father) and address her parents by their names..."

Chitra to The Quint

According to Praveen's family members, Sharmila would often keep looking at Praveen's picture and say, "Why did they do this me? How could they kill my husband?"

However, the family said that things began to improve mid-March, and Sharmila was looking to get back to completing college.

"Sharmila would tear up before every meal. She knew that we were also affected by this, so would not cry in front of us. We'd make sure she is never left alone. One of us would always be with her. She began preparing for her college exams in April. We were happy that things were improving..." Chitra said.

What Happened on 14 April?

According to Chitra, on 11 April, Sharmila and the family found out that two of the accused – Dinesh (Sharmila's brother) and Vishnu Raj – had applied for bail in the first week of April. Since then, Sharmila was allegedly distressed.

"Sharmila was upset once she found out that her brother filed for a bail petition. She was scared it would put her and our family in danger," she told The Quint.

At around 4 pm on 14 April, Sharmila told Chitra that she was going to take a shower. But she allegedly locked the door and did not open for one hour, the family said, adding that this raised their suspicion.

"We kept knocking the room door and calling out her name. Initially she said she was changing her clothes, but after 20 minutes, when we knocked again, there was no response. We then broke open the door at around 5:10 pm and saw her... never did I imagine that she would take such a step... it was a shock for us..."

Chitra to The Quint

The family immediately rushed her to a nearby private hospital in Pallikaranai. After her condition deteriorated, they shifted her to the government hospital on 15 April where she was undergoing treatment for a week.

"I was with Sharmila in the hospital for seven days straight. I used to sit next to her and kept praying for her recovery. She was in the ICU, but I had hopes. But she passed away last evening..." said Chitra.

Family Claims Police Negligence; Latter Denies Allegations

In a written complaint to the Tambaram Police Commissioner, accessed by The Quint, Chitra claimed that when the two accused had applied for bail, the police did not inform the family that they could challenge the bail application. The police allegedly only delivered the court’s summon notice one day prior to the summoned date.

"On 8 April, the accused had filed a bail plea in the Chengalpattu court. The court had asked us to appear in the court on 12 April. But the copies of the court order were not given to us. We only received a notice on 11 April... As per procedure, we should've received three days before. Sharmila was shocked due to this."

Chitra in her complaint accessed by The Quint

Denying allegations made by Praveen's family, a senior police official from Pallikaranai told The Quint that the written complaint was received – and that an investigation was underway.

"Since this is a suicide case, a fresh case was registered under Section 174 of the CrPc. It is apparent that she committed it due to agony, but we are investigating the case," the official said. Meanwhile, the four accused in Praveen's alleged murder continue to remain behind bars, and the investigation is on, they added.

An inconsolable Chitra, however, said all she wanted was justice for what had happened to Praveen and Sharmila.

"How can I explain in words how I am feeling? We are back to where we were two months ago. Two lives were lost for no reason. Caste cannot be a reason to kill someone. Why don't people understand? I made sure Sharmila got everything she needed, but she too left us... It's a horrible feeling and a trauma for us. Don't know how we will get over this..."

Chitra to The Quint

(If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs.)