6 sentenced to death in Tirupur ‘honour killing’

TIRUPUR: Six people were sentenced to death by a court here on Tuesday in connection with the ‘honour killing’ of a 22-yearold Dalit man in full public view in Udumalpetin March lastyear.

Those sentenced to death included the father of the bride Kausalya, who married the Dalit man despite opposition from her family because of her caste.

Tirupur principal district and sessions Judge Alamelu Natarajan also sentenced another accused to a double life term and another to five years imprisonment in the case. The judge acquitted three others accused — Kausalya’s mother, her maternal uncle and another relative. The case drew outrage as a video showing the savage attack by three people who hacked the man, Shankar, and Kausalya on a busy road on March 13, 2016 was telecast by TV channels.

In the video, the three men were seen attacking Shankar and his wife, dealing repeated blows and leaving the place on a two-wheeler after the coldblooded ambush even as scared bystanders remained mute wit- nesses to the carnage.

Various political parties had condemned the killing. Kausalya, who survived the attack, welcomed the verdict, saying it was “a warning bell and deterrent” to those attempting to indulge in “honour killings”.

She told reporters in the court complex that she would appeal against the acquittal of her mother and the two others.