A dalit student got murdered in a public place in Udumalpet, Tirupur, Tamilnadu, for marrying a Hindu girl.

22 year old student, V. Sankar (22) and his wife S. Kausalya (19) were attacked by 3 men with deadly weapons, yesterday, who came to the spot on a motorcycle.

While Sankar died on the way to the hospital, his wife, who suffered a head injury was admitted to the Coimbatore Government Hospital.

Reportedly, the girl’s relatives, who earlier opposed the couple’s marriage, were suspected to be involved in the incident.

Leaving a clue to the police, the deadly attack was captured by the surveillance camera, installed in the locality. Adding to it, even the locales clicked the pictures of the murderers, who were hurriedly skipping away from the spot, on the motor cycles.

Sankar, a native of Kumaralingam near Udumalpet, and Kausalya, a native of Palani in Dindigul district, were students of a private engineering college in Pollachi, where they met and fell in love. The duo got married a few months ago, against the wishes of the girl’s family.

After marriage, Kausalya gave up her studies and went to a private firm in Tirupur, for work to support her husband, who was in the final year. Her parents had opposed the marriage and even moved the court to separate them. Since she was a major and the marriage was on mutual consent, no legal action could be initiated, the sources said.

Yesterday, Sankar and Kausalya went to a departmental store in Udumalpet, when the accused attacked them. Sankar suffered a grievous injury on his neck and fell unconscious on the spot. He succumbed to the injury, while being rushed to the hospital. Kausalya’s condition was said to be stable.

A senior police official who inspected the scene of crime said one of the girl’s close relatives had hired mercenaries to murder the Dalit youth. “We have detained a prime suspect who masterminded the attack. The three assailants would be apprehended soon,” he said.

By Phani Ch