Tirunelveli caste killing accused detained under Goondas Act

Tirunelveli City Commissioner of Police Santosh Hadimani has ordered the detention of S. Surjith, 23, of KTC Nagar in Palayamkottai, under the Goondas Act. Surjith was arrested in connection with the murder of a Scheduled Caste (SC) youth C. Kavin Selvaganesh, 27, last Sunday (July 27, 2025).

An official statement from the Tirunelveli City Police said Kavin, of Arumugamangalam in Thoothukudi district, was murdered at Ashtalakshmi Nagar in KTC Nagar under the Palayamkottai police station limits. The Palayamkottai police registered a case and subsequently arrested Surjith from Mangammal Salai in KTC Nagar, on charges of murder.

The statement further said the Commissioner of Police ordered Surjith’s detention under the Goondas Act, as he posed a threat to the maintenance of law and order by committing the crime.

Demand for SI couple’s arrest

When the police held talks with the family members of the deceased on Tuesday (July 29) night, in a bid to persuade them to receive Kavin’s body from the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, his family stated that they would do so only if Surjith’s parents — Sub-Inspectors Saravanan and Krishnakumari, who have been named as accused in the First Information Report (FIR) — were also arrested.

The talks remained inconclusive, and as of Wednesday (July 30) afternoon, there was no sign of the body being received.

Meanwhile, the questioning of Saravanan and Krishnakumari, who have been placed under suspension after being named in the FIR, is still under way. Investigators are trying to determine whether the couple played any role in the murder or had prior knowledge of their son Surjith’s alleged plan to kill Kavin, who was in a relationship with their daughter, a Siddha medical practitioner.

After his arrest, Surjith reportedly told the police that he had warned Kavin, an IT employee, many times to sever the ties with his sister as he belonged to an SC community, and she, an Most Backward Classes (MBC) community.

“When Kavin brought his grandfather for treatment to the Siddha hospital where the woman was working last Sunday, Surjith utilised the opportunity to murder Kavin,” said the police, after recording the statement of the accused.

Based on the information the investigators have obtained so far from Surjith and his sister, the police are questioning their parents. Officials have also planned to take Surjith into custody for further interrogation.