Killed In The Name Of Honour: Newly-Wed Kerala Youth Abducted, Found Dead In A Canal

In yet another case of what appears to be honour killing, a 23-year-old youth, Kevin P Joseph ’s body was found in a stream in Chaliyakkara, which is some 20 km away from Thenmala in Kollam district on Monday morning.

This came after Kevin P Joseph, a newly-wed, and his relative, Aneesh from Mannanam were allegedly abducted by a gang sent by his wife’s family on Sunday. However, Aneesh was later abandoned on the roadside after being tortured brutally. He is now admitted at Government Medical College Hospital, reported The Asian Age.

K Mohan Kumar, a member of Kerala State Human Rights Commission, while talking to The Logical Indian has said that they are suspecting this case to be one of honour killing, “We have asked the police to submit a report,” he added.

Neenu, who had fainted upon hearing the news of her husband’s death, was admitted to Kottyam Medical College and Hospital on Monday morning reported The News Minute.

Kevin’s distraught father Ranjan, who was also at the hospital, brought Neenu back to their home at Nattasseri. As reported by The News Minute, Ranjan said, “She said she does not want to go to her parent’s house and that she doesn’t have anyone else. She asked me if she can come and stay at Kevin’s house, so I brought her with me. She belongs here now.”

The incident

In a statement reported by Times Of India, Kevin’s relatives said that the Neenu’s family wasn’t pleased with their marriage since the boy was not from a sound financial background.

“Kevin was an electrician from a poor Dalit Christian family in Kottayam. After completing his diploma in electrical engineering, he worked in Dubai briefly before returning last January. Joseph runs a two-wheeler workshop. Neenu is from an influential Christian family at Thenmala in Kollam; her mother is a Muslim. Her parents, particularly her brother Shanu Chacko, were against her affair with Kevin. Shanu is our main suspect and is on the run,” a police officer told The Indian Express.

Kevin, who was in love with Neenu, a college student in Kottyam, married each other at a registrar’s office in Ettumanoor, against the wishes of the bride’s family.

Based on Neenu’s family’s complaints, the newlyweds were called to the Gandhinagar Police Station, shortly after the couple’s marriage on Friday. It was then that Neenu had decided to stay with her husband, Kevin.

As reported by PTI, the police had arrested ten unidentified people in connection with the incident. Deputy SP Anil Kumar of Punalur Police Station, who has been investigating the case, while talking to The Logical Indian said that they are still in the process of investigating the case and that they haven’t caught anyone yet.

Local Police In A State Of Fix

The abduction and brutal murder of Kevin P Joseph has sparked significant controversies which have left the state government and the police off-balanced.

As reported by CNN News 18, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the DGP to form two special teams to conduct investigations. He has further condemned the incident and said that it shouldn’t have happened.

The CM, who has been facing harsh criticism for police laxity, in a statement has denied allegations that the police were busy in CM duty.

The incident was further brought into light when Neenu along with Kevin’s parents sought to file a police complaint concerning the abduction, which the police refused to register.

This led Ernakulam Range IG Vijay Sahkare to suspend Sub Inspector M S Shibu, and Grade ASI Sunnymon of the Gandhinagar police station for their delay after activists of various Dalit organisations and UDF workers protested in front of the Gandhinagar Police station, demanding immediate actions against those officials who failed to act in time reported PTI.

The Logical Indian Take

Cases of honour killings are more heard of in the north Indian states. However, this particular incident in Kerala seeks to question the state’s actual achievements concerning effective social inclusion. This tells us that honour killing are not specific to specific regions, and The Logical Indian condemns the same.