00:00This is Kavan Selvaganesh, a 27-year-old Dalit software engineer killed for loving outside his
00:05caste. Kavan was in a long-term inter-caste relationship with Subhashini, a traditional
00:09medicine practitioner he'd known since school. On July 20, 2025, he visited the hospital to
00:14consult her about his ailing grandfather. Subhashini's 21-year-old brother, S. Surjit,
00:19who opposed their relationship, lured Kavan away, claiming their parents wanted to talk.
00:23They stopped mid-rote, Surjit yelled,
00:25How dare you love someone from another caste, and attacked Kavan with a sickle. Kavan ran,
00:30but was chased and killed just 200 meters from the hospital. Surjit surrendered. Kavan's mother,
00:36Tamir Servi, filed the complaint, saying, they never accepted my son and might misuse their power.
00:41Surjit's parents, both police officers, are co-accused of threatening Kavan before.
00:45All three face charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the S.C.S.T. Prevention of Adrocities
00:49Act. The victim's family now refuses to accept the post-mortem until justice is served.
00:53Tamil Nadu recorded around 1,600 caste-based honor killings annually from 2020 to 2022.
00:59Kavan had a job, a future and a partner, but caste destroyed it all.
