Kerala woke up to the tragic news last Monday. It was the day when the state, which always takes pride in its meritorious living standard and literacy, witnessed humanity succumbing to devilry in an attempt to silence true love.
I was, as usual, playing with the TV remote, changing the channels while sipping my morning tea, when the news flashed before me. On the screen, the scroll in Malayalam read: “Love marriage: Bride's family abducts groom”.
Being a strong advocate of love, I was left in utter shock. My eyes were glued to the TV screen as I looked up from the scroll to see the girl, Neenu, wailing. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she accused her family of abducting her love, Kevin, and the police of not taking action on her complaint.
Having breakfast next to me, my mother, whose parental instincts may have kicked up, said, “What has happened to today's children? This girl is complaining about her own parents and brother,” she grumbled.
Later that day, the developments in the case took a deadly turn. My mother would have certainly felt contrite about her statement in the morning. Kevin's lifeless body was recovered from a canal. I nearly cursed my own eyes for having stumbled upon the news. With a heavy sigh, my mother asked herself, “Which ogres did this?” The answer is now out in the open with the arrest of the accused.
The story of Kevin P. Joseph and Neenu Chacko is a textbook example of the decline of human values in Kerala's contemporary society. It is horrible to think that our fellow citizens could stoop so low. Just take a stroll down the recent past and you will see how fast humanity is disappearing. Be it the story of Madhu, who was beaten to death by a mob after being charged with theft in Attappadi, or that of Athira, who was killed by her own father for falling in love with a person from a different caste in Malappuram, or the Latvian woman who was killed in Thiruvananthapuram, or that little girl who was sexually abused inside a cinema theatre in Malappuram, or Sreejith who died in police custody in Varappuzha... tales of human apathy have been flooding our newspapers. Kevin is the latest in that series.
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What was Kevin's crime? He wanted to marry the girl with whom he had been in love for three years. Is love a crime? May be, in the eyes of a section of our society—the same people who take on the role of the moral police and chase away boys and girls for sitting together in parks. Why are they so intolerant to two persons loving each other?
The stark irony in this case is that Neenu's parents, who themselves loved and married despite being from different religion, were intolerant to their daughter's affair. Neenu's father, Chacko, even gave up his family to marry her mother Rahna. Of course, one can imagine what kind of hullabaloo that must have caused in those days. The bitterness of the irony deepens as it dawns on us that Neenu's brother and a key accused in Kevin's murder, Shanu Chacko, also had a love marriage, that too, just six months ago.
It is shocking to know that Neenu's family, who embraced romance so much in life, found their love unacceptable and this stopped Kevin and Neenu from being together. Kevin and Neenu placed their love beyond everything—caste, creed and wealth. If only Neenu's family had thought along similar lines, things would have been different.
Now, moving on to our law enforcement agencies. Kerala Police were at the receiving end of the public outrage over Kevin's death. Inefficiency seems to have become a synonym for the police force in Kerala. Ever since the Pinarayi Vijayan government came to power, Kerala's police department has always been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Janakeeya Police (People's Police) is feared to have been reduced to just a catchy phrase with many in the force capable of outsmarting even the most notorious criminals.
“Humanity and efficiency should be the hallmark of the police. Women, children and the elderly approach the police in helpless situations and it is the duty of the police to address their issues.” “Corruption and custodial torture will be severely dealt with. The state needs a police force which is corruption-free and compassionate to people. Action will be taken against the police personnel who violate law.” These statements were made during different occasions by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also the in-charge of police department, after coming to power. But Kevin's case indicates that the message has not yet reached the Kerala police force. If reports are to be believed, the police have strongly tried to divert the case—from the moment Kevin was abducted to the time his body was recovered from the canal.
Kevin and Neenu's case is the hot debate raging on in Kerala now. For a society which celebrates even tragedies, Kevin's death is another sensational item to discuss on TV channels and social media, until the next one comes up. In Kevin's case, neither were there many to hit the streets to protest, nor anyone to hold a candlelight vigil. Is it because the villain is “love” to which Malayalis have a strong aversion? Or is it because the national media didn't give enough space for this news?
MURDER OF LOVE: The story of Kevin and Neenu is a textbook example of the decline of human values in Kerala's contemporary society | Reju Arnold
On the same day when Kevin's body was found, I went to a tea shop, where the shopkeeper was talking about this issue with three others. All of them strongly condemned the “honour killing”. I wondered, if only for a moment, that the mindset of Malayalis have changed. But the shopkeeper's next comment shattered my hopes. “It was enough for her brother to just beat him, there was no need to kill him. He spoiled a girl's life. Now, she is not going to live alone; most probably she will kill herself.” I asked him why he would say something like that. “I have seen life more than you have. This is what is going to happen,” he asserted with a smile.
I wanted to spit on his face.
But then, he is just one representative of our decaying society. They don't need virtues; they feed on complexities in life. Neenu's parents, too, belong to this society. Kerala police are the custodians of this society. The shopkeeper and his audience are the spokespersons of the static face of this patriarchal order.
Kevin and Neenu, you should not have expected anything more from them.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the publication.