DMK Allies Urge MK Stalin to Enact Tough Law Against Dishonour Killings Amid Recent Spurt In Cases

In a strong political push against caste-based violence, three key allies of Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK - the CPI(M), CPI, and VCK - today submitted a joint petition to Chief Minister MK Stalin demanding the immediate enactment of a special law to tackle dishonour killings.

The demand comes amid growing public outrage over recent incidents, including the murder of Kavin Selvam, a 27-year-old Dalit techie in Tirunelveli, allegedly for his relationship with a non-Dalit doctor.

The petition marks a significant political moment ahead of the 2026 state elections, where law and order is emerging as a key electoral issue.

The delegation, led by CPM State Secretary P Shanmugam, CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan, and VCK President Thol Thirumavalavan MP, said in their joint statement that entrenched caste ideologies - notably "Sanathana" and "Varnashrama Dharma" - were fuelling crimes that target young couples for defying caste or community norms.

The leaders listed a series of tragic deaths: from Viruthachalam's Kannagi Murugesan to Usilampatti's Vimaladevi and Krishnagiri's Subash, arguing that more than a hundred young lives have been lost to honour killings in the past decade in Tamil Nadu.

They asserted that such killings were not just familial or emotional acts, but the result of societal pressures, caste panchayat intimidation, and toxic notions of caste 'purity' and honour. The current legal system, they argued, does not allow these crimes to be categorised or tracked separately - often reducing them to generic murders under Section 302 IPC or Section 101 CrPC.

The proposed law, the petition said, must:

• Explicitly define and criminalize honour killings
• Allow for prosecution of instigators, including caste bodies and relatives
• Shift the burden of proof toward the accused
• Ensure fast-track courts, special public prosecutors, and victim compensation

The leaders noted a critical gap in the current legal framework: the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is often inapplicable in cases where the victim's partner is not from a Scheduled Caste, especially when non-SC women are targeted to uphold caste endogamy.

Calling the issue a test of Tamil Nadu's commitment to social justice, the three parties urged Mr Stalin to ensure through legislation that it upholds constitutional freedoms of marriage and association.