Vanniyar girl married to Dalit seeks protection from PMK
Thanjavur: A 19-year-old girl belonging to the Vanniyar community who married a Dalit youth after falling in love with him surrendered at the district police office seeking police protection as she feared threat to their lives from activists of PMK and Vannyiar Sangam.
Senthamizhselvi, in her petition to SP Dharmarajan, said she and her husband Vimalraj felt threatened. “PMK founder Dr Ramadoss is responsible if anything untoward happens to me or my husband Vimalraj or his parents”, she said.
On the directions of SP Dharmarajan, the couple were taken to all women police station in Kumbakonam. Since her father had lodged a complaint with Jayankondam police against Vimalraj for ‘kidnapping his minor’ daughter, the inspector took the couple to the judicial magistrate court in Jayankondam to get their statements recorded.
Another Dalit Vanniyar couple in limelight
It cannot be dismissed as yet another Dalit-Vanniyar marriage that faces threat from casteists as two young lives are involved.
The girl, Senthamizhselvi (19), daughter of Selvaraj of west street in Manakkarai village, Chinnavalayam post, Udayarpalayam taluk, Ariyalur district, and studying second-year B.Sc.
Zoology in the government arts college for women in Kumbakonam, fell in love with a 27-year-old Dalit, Vimalraj, son of Govindasamy of Kaliammankoil street, Thenkachiperumalnatham village, in Udayarpalayam taluk.
As her parents got wind of her affair, they strongly opposed it. The girl eloped with Vimalraj about a month ago. Her father Selvaraj lodged a complaint stating that she was a minor and Vimalraj had kidnapped her.
Police registered a case against Vimalraj and his parents. The local leaders of the PMK and Vanniyar Sangam, who felt that the girl had brought disgrace to their community by marrying a Dalit, also started searching for the lovers.
Senthamizhselvi and Vimalraj, who were absconding, got married in the presence of advocate K.S. Karthikeyan and got their marriage registered at the sub-registrar’s office in Thirupanandal, near Kumbakonam, on June 25. Later, they settled down in Thirupanandal area and started living as husband and wife.
“As they feared threat to their lives, we filed a writ petition before the Madras HC seeking police protection. Disposing of the petition, the HC directed the police not to harass the couple but to provide protection,” said advocate Karthikeyan. Senthamizhselvi claimed that she and Vimalraj had been in love for over three years.
“My mother is no more. My father and stepmother decided to get me married to an old man to clear a debt owed by my father to that man,” Senthamizhselvi.
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