PALAKKAD: Gruesome murders including honor killings were an anomaly to Kerala. However, the people here were aware of such cases reported from northern parts of India and even in Tamil Nadu. Those reports were received with a sense of aghast by Malayalees. Fast forward to 2024, the once enigmatic honour killings have found their way to Kerala. The shocking fall in standards warrants attention.

Haritha and Aneesh have been in love since their school days. Aneesh a painter belonged to the Kollan caste, a sub-caste of the Vishwakarma. Haritha belonged to the superior Pillai community. The relationship irked Haritha’s family as the disparity in caste was something the family would never budge to.

In an attempt to cut short this relationship, Haritha’s family hastily found a groom and the marriage was fixed. Not able to cope with the family’s demands, Haritha eloped with Aneesh and the marriage was registered on 27 September 2020. A long-stalled dream reached fruition.

The news spread through their hometown leaving Haritha’s family in disgust. Her father Prabhu Kumar and uncle Suresh reached Aneesh’s house and verbally issued a threat.

“We will not allow both of you to complete 90 days together” This still rings in the family’s ears who were concerned by the words.

There were days when Aneesh and Haritha feared even stepping out of their house. The doomsday arrived on the 88th day after their marriage, and Haritha’s father and uncle finally walked the talk. On December 25, Christmas Day, Aneesh's family conducted a Pooja ritual as part of the Dhanu season. After this, around 5:30 in the evening, Aneesh and his brother Arun were heading towards Manamkulam on a bike. The vehicle stopped at the junction as Arun had to buy bottled water. The accused were stationed in the same spot and they soon got into a heated verbal exchange with Aneesh. The verbal dispute soon paved the way for physical assault.

Prabhukumar stabbed Aneesh deeply in his thighs and injured him. Suresh used a vehicle lever to mercilessly smash Aneesh and then strangle him. Arun tried to stop the attack but he too was attacked and forced to flee. The cry for help alerted the locals who later took Aneesh to hospital. However, his life couldn’t be saved.

Suresh was taken into custody by the police from his house. Prabhukumar went to his sister's house in Kozhinjampara on his Enfield bike. He left his mobile phone there and went to his relative's house in Saibaba Colony, Gandhinagar, Coimbatore. Prabhukumar was caught by police while trying to escape from Coimbatore.