TN police forms special anti-honour killing cells
After denying incidents of honour killings for years, Tamil Nadu police have formed first-of-its-kind special cells in Madurai and Salem districts to protect inter-caste marriage couples in line with an order of the Madras High Court.
The special cell headed by Inspector from Serious Crime Squad will come under the supervision of the DCP (Law and Order), District Social Welfare Officer, and District Adi Dravidar (Dalit) Welfare and will receive complaints from inter-caste couples facing harassment and threats of honour killing.
The cell was set up on the orders of the Madras HC in April 2016. The Court, while passing a judgement over a case of honour killing filed in 2014 of Vimala Devi, a caste Hindu, of Usilampatti in Madurai, issued a nine-point directive to the state government including the formation of special cells in every district.
Tamil Nadu, of late, has been witnessing a spate of honour killing incidents. Though the official record of the state police shows only two incidents from 2014 to 2016, the data maintained by several groups and political parties fighting against such heinous crimes show that 85 honour killing incidents in the last four years.
The special cells were formed in the wake of the contempt of …read more