Fearing Backlash, Kerala Inter-Caste Couple Kill Themselves

Both of them were students from Kerala, studying in Dakshina Kannada, and had reportedly been together for 1.5 years

A couple in their early 20s allegedly consumed rat poison and took their own lives fearing opposition from their families as they belonged to different castes

(Photo: The Quint)

A young couple, natives of Kasaragod in Kerala, consumed rat poison at a lodge in Mangaluru on Thursday, 10 October, fearing their families’ objection to their relationship. The two allegedly belonged to different castes, local cops told The Quint.

The police were intimated of the incident last Thursday, the day they were admitted to the hospital, but the couple succumbed to the poisoning on Sunday.

No suicide note was found near the bodies of Vishnu, 23, and Greeshma, 22, from their room in Sama Lodge near the Mangaluru railway station.

According to the cops, both families have denied any knowledge of the couple being in a relationship, and claimed that the youngsters had acted out of fear and presumption over how the family would react.

“They were in a relationship for the last 1.5 years. Back in Kerala, they lived in neighbouring villages about 3-4 kms away from each other and knew each other since then. The woman was a student of Physiotherapy in a city college while the man was studying MSc in Moodbidri. As per our information, they feared that their families might react badly to their relationship, but the parents say that they had no idea about them,” said Manjula, a sub-inspector with the Mangaluru city police.

According to the cops, it was only at the last minute that Vishnu’s family came to know about the relationship.

Cops said that Vishnu’s mother told them she had received a text message from her son informing her of the extreme step the couple was taking, presumably in their last moments in the lodge room.

Both sets of families have since arrived in Mangaluru to claim the bodies. The investigations are underway, police said.