Hundreds of people today defied prohibitory orders to join in the last journey of Ilavarasan, a Dalit man, whose mysterious death following a failed inter-caste marriage sparked a major controversy in Tamil Nadu. The 21-year-old was laid to rest at a private vacant site in his native village of Nathan, where situation still remains tense.
Ilavarasan was found dead on July 4 near a railway track in Dharmapuri district in western Tamil Nadu.
At his burial today, his friends and supporters declared him a martyr. Villagers had put up his pictures on the streets. Many wore T-shirts that called Ilavarasan a 'prince of love'.
"He has become the symbol of the Dalit youth now because of his sacrifice, because of his fight and his commitment to his life inspite of the fact that his wife belonged to an upper caste," said Kavin Malar, a writer.
Ilavarasan's family now plans to turn his burial site into a memorial with a library and a gym. "Inter-caste couples can come here to take inspiration from Ilavarasan," his father Ilango said.
Ilavarasan's family alleges that he was murdered by the upper caste, dominant Vanniyar community to which his wife belongs.
A second post-mortem was conducted on Ilavarasan yesterday by a team doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS. The report will be submitted to the Madras High Court, which had ordered the second autopsy after medical experts, who examined the Dalit man's body, gave conflicting opinions on whether there was need for further clinical or surgical examination.
"Whatever we have perceived, we will put in a sealed cover and submit to the court," said Dr Sudhir Kumar Gupta, one of the doctors of the team which performed the autopsy.
The first autopsy report had revealed that Ilavarasan died of a head injury. But his parents were not convinced and had demanded for a second autopsy to be performed in the presence of their doctor.
Ilavarasan and Divya had eloped in August last year. Weeks after that, Divya's father committed suicide which triggered riots against Dalits in and around their village. Around 250 Dalit homes were allegedly torched by Vanniyars, who are backed by the PMK party in Tamil Nadu. PMK sources, however, have refuted charges of the party's involvement in the riots.
It may take a long time to establish whether Ilavarasan's death was a case of suicide, murder or accident. But he has already become a martyr for Dalit groups.