A 22-year-old IT employee was found dead on the rooftop of his girlfriend’s house in Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, June 19.
The deceased, identified as Dhanush from Kaavuvilai, had been working at an IT firm and lived with his parents in Coimbatore.
According to reports, Dhanush, who belonged to a Scheduled Caste (SC) community, had been in a long-term relationship with a Muslim woman since their school days in Kulasekaram.
The Muslim woman and he stayed in touch despite pursuing higher education in different cities, Dhanush in Coimbatore and the woman in Kaliyakkavilai.
The couple got reacquainted after she joined a postgraduate program in Coimbatore.
Their relationship reportedly came under pressure after her family learned about it. Objecting to the inter-caste, interfaith relationship, the Muslim woman’s family withdrew her from the college and arranged her engagement to another man.
Dhanush reportedly intervened by contacting the fiancé and revealing personal details about their relationship, which led to the engagement being called off.
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Following this, Dhanush and his parents formally approached the woman’s family with a marriage proposal, which was rejected. Her family allegedly cut off all communication between the couple by changing her phone number and deactivating her social media accounts.
On June 18, Dhanush travelled to Kulasekaram from Coimbatore. He was reportedly informed that the woman was not home. The next morning, his body was discovered on the rooftop of her residence.
Police stated that markings on the compound wall and abrasions on his body suggest he may have climbed over the wall to reach the terrace.
Initial reports suggest suicide, whereas the exact cause of death will be determined after the autopsy.
Further investigation is ongoing.
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