2018 Kachanatham caste murders in Tamil Nadu: a revisit

The story so far: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on February 26, 2026, pronounced its judgment on the appeals filed by the 27 convicts in the sensational 2018 Kachanatham caste killing case. The court upheld the life sentence imposed on 26 convicts and acquitted one person. On May 28, 2018, a mob belonging to a dominant intermediate caste attacked people belonging to a Scheduled Caste following a dispute over presenting temple honours at Kachanatham village in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu. Three persons belonging to the Scheduled Caste were murdered and several others were injured.

What triggered the caste killings?

Amid tensions between the caste Hindus and the Devendra Kula Vellalars (listed as Scheduled Caste-Pallars), A. Deiventhiran, a member of the Scheduled Caste, serving as Lance Naik in the Army, and his friend Prabakaran, a policeman serving in the Tallakulam police station in Madurai, arrived at Kachanatham to attend the annual festival at Karuppannasamy temple on May 25 in 2018.

“The members of the dominant Agamudayar community were enraged that the Devendra Kula Velalars did not present them ‘kalanji’ (honours) of the Karuppansamy temple, as was the practice earlier,” states a report in The Hindu.

A quarrel broke out on May 26 when C. Suman, 19, a caste Hindu from the village, objected to the duo “staring” at him. Citing sources, a report in The Hindu said when Deiventhiran asked him to “mind his own business”, an enraged Suman threatened the duo with a sword. “We never confronted him but he [Suman] was bent on picking up a fight,” said Deiventhiran.

Prabhakaran and Deiventhiran reported the incident to the Thirupachethi police. When Suman and his brother Arun could not be found, the police took their parents for questioning. They were released the same evening. “But this appears to have triggered the brutal attack that followed,” The Hindu report added.

As directed by the Thirupachethi police for reasons of jurisdiction, the villagers lodged a complaint with the Palayanoor police station on May 28. Police personnel from this station visited the village the same day. 

What happened on day of attacks?

On night of May 28, an armed group from the dominant community attacked the Scheduled Caste settlement.

Suman and his brother Arun, who allegedly led a gang of attackers, found Deiventhiran’s father K. Arumugam, 65, alone at home, dragged him out, and hacked him to death. They then entered the house of A. Shanmuganathan, where most of the victims of the crime were gathered, and attacked them indiscriminately. Shanmuganathan was also murdered, besides V. Chandrasekhar, another villager who died at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai after two days. Before leaving, they entered another house and attacked S. Dhanasekaran and his son D. Sugumaran, a post-graduate preparing for the civil services examination. Dhanasekaran, who sustained injuries, died of health complications a year later.

Suspension of policemen for collusion

According to The Hindu report, Superintendent of Police T. Jayachandran said after finding prima facie that the Palayanoor police had acted in collusion with the accused, he had placed two sub-inspectors under suspension.

Case and arrests

On May 30, two accused were arrested and five others — Ajaydevan, Suman, Arunkumar, Agni, and Rajesh — surrendered before the IV Judicial Magistrate. On June 1, the Palayanoor police booked 33 persons, including four juveniles. One of the accused was absconding, while another died during trial. They were booked for offences under sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Conviction, sentencing in 2022

On August 1, 2022, the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Sivaganga pronounced all the 27 accused guilty of murder of the three men. On August 5, the court imposed a life sentence on the 27 convicts.