Source: thewire.in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New Delhi: The murder of 23-year-old Y. Hemavathi \u2013 killed by her parents for marrying out of her caste \u2013 could have been prevented if police had not ignored previous complaints made by her and her husband, a fact-finding team has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A three-member team of Human Rights Forum visited the Mandipeta-Kotamuru village in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, where Hemavathi \u2013 a Kamma woman \u2013 was killed on June 28 for marrying Kesavulu, a Dalit man. She was abducted by her parents \u2013 Y. Bhaskar Naidu and Y. Varalakshmi \u2013 and some relatives, while the couple were returning to their village from a hospital. She was taken to a field, thrashed and killed. She had given birth to a boy just a week before she was murdered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team said that Hemavathi was abducted previously by her parents, because they objected to her marriage to Kesavulu. The police had refused to file an FIR and also ignored complaints of harassment that the couple and Kesavulu\u2019s family made, the report says. Bhaskar Naidu\u2019s threats had forced the couple to leave their native village and relocate frequently, as they feared their lives were under threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sequence of events<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the report, the couple fell in love in 2012 and got married in 2017. From the beginning, Hemavathi\u2019s parents did not condone their relationship, forcing them to get married secretly. Hemavathi\u2019s parents filed a kidnapping complaint against Kesavulu with the Palamaner police. This is a common pressure tactic. A few years ago, the Centre argued before the Supreme Court that an FIR should not be registered in such cases before seeking the woman\u2019s view. The Centre\u2019s argument said that complaints should not result in the harassment of couples who have married against the wishes of their parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Hemavathi and Kesavulu\u2019s case, the police apparently \u201csettled\u201d the complaint and sent Hemavathi back to her parents\u2019s home. The fact-finding report says that Hemavathi was beaten up by her parents for marrying Kesavulu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA few days later, however, Hemavathi escaped from the house after which she and Kesavulu moved out of their village. Fearing for their safety, they stayed for varying periods of time in Bengaluru, Mogili, Chittoor, Tangalla Agrharam and Bangarupalyam,\u201d the report says. Bhaskar Naidu continued to try and track the couple down, asking Kesavulu\u2019s friends about their whereabouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hemavathi, who discontinued her B.Tech after her marriage, resumed her course in 2018. Her sister Nikhila called her to say she would like to hand over academic certificates. Hemavathi went to meet her alone, as the family did not allow Kesavulu to accompany her. She was abducted by her family and locked up in her parents\u2019s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kesavulu tried to file a complaint with the Gangavaram police station, but officers refused to file an FIR. They told him he should obtain permission from another Kamma person. \u201cApart from demanding money, they also said he must go to the Palamaner police station to file the complaint. No FIR was therefore lodged,\u201d the HRF report says. Hemavathi, again managed to escape from captivity and returned to Keshavulu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In January this year, Hemavathi\u2019s family used casteist slurs against Kesavulu\u2019s father Govindaiah and also attacked him. Govindaiah was working on a road construction project in the village close to Bhaskar Naidu\u2019s house. When Kesavulu, Hemavathi and Govindaiah tried to file a complaint with the Palamaner police station, they were again ignored. Govindaiah was asked to seek permission from the contractor of the CC road project, who was a relative of Bhaskar Naidu, for the complaint to be filed. No FIR was lodged on this occasion also, the report says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, the report says that two members, also from the Naidu (Kamma) caste, encouraged Hemavathi\u2019s parents to commit the crime. One person allegedly said he would \u201cmanage things\u201d, while another provided the family with details of the couple\u2019s movements when they went to the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Family was nurturing hate\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHRF believes that Hemavathi\u2019s killing was not a murder committed in a fit of anger or the spur of the moment. Her family was nurturing hate because she had married a Dalit and intended to teach the couple a lesson,\u201d the fact-finding team noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It says the police could have prevented the killing if they had acted upon the complaints they received earlier. \u201cThe SC\/ST (POA) Act empowers the police to initiate preventive action if they perceive any danger from a non-SC\/ST person to a SC\/ST person. In this case, the police of the Gangavaram and Palamaner stations, willfully neglected their duties and are therefore culpable,\u201d the report said. It wanted the personnel who neglected their duties to be included in the FIR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the police have arrested five members of Hemavathi\u2019s family \u2013 her parents and three siblings. All are accused in the killing.<\/p>\n