Bringing back the harrowing memory of the cold-blooded murder of Gokulraj, a Dalit engineering student, on June 24, 2015, in Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, the convicted A1, S. Yuvaraj, was paroled on March 11, 2025, to attend his daughter’s puberty ceremony with his family.
In March 2023, S. Yuvaraj, an upper-caste Hindu from Kongu Vellalar Gounder, a feudal caste in northwestern Tamil Nadu, along with 10 other convicts, was sentenced to triple life imprisonment until death by the Madras HC. They were convicted for the caste-driven abduction, torture, and murder of Gokulraj in 2015 and for staging the crime as a homicide while attempting to destroy evidence.
This verdict was not an easy win. It was the result of Gokulraj’s mother, Chitra’s, eight-year unyielding pursuit of justice. The case, nearly buried due to years of foul play and manipulation, saw a turning point in 2019 when it was transferred to the Madurai Special Court and taken over by senior advocate B. B. Mohan. Even after his intervention, attempts to derail the proceedings by upper-caste Hindu outfits continued. Hence, this judgment marks a significant victory in the history of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Why was Gokulraj murdered?
Much like the heinous caste crimes Tamil Nadu continues to witness today, Gokulraj was a victim of the brutal caste arrogance of dominant upper-caste Hindus in 2015. The 21-year-old Dalit was an engineering graduate in Electronics and Communication from Omalur, Salem.
He was last seen alive on June 23, 2015, with his friend Swathi (from the Kongu Vellalar community) at Sri Arthanareeswarar Temple in Tiruchengode, from where he was abducted by a gang of upper-caste thugs associated with the Theeran Chinnamalai Gounder Peravai, a Hindu caste outfit. Maddened by the mere sight of Gokulraj, a Dalit, conversing with an upper-caste woman, they tortured him, forcefully fabricated a death note, severed his tongue, and, on June 24, dumped his torso on the Thottipalayam railway track, orchestrating it as a suicide.
Course of investigation in Gokulraj’s murder
Following his mother Chitra’s complaint, only an abduction case was initially filed by the Tiruchengode police under Section 363 of the IPC. Weeks later, the case was reclassified under the SC/ST (PoA) Act, 1989, suspecting casteist intervention in Gokulraj’s murder based on Swathi’s witness statement. This led the late Tiruchengode DSP Vishnupriya to take over the case. Based on the autopsy report submitted by the court-appointed medical team and CCTV footage evidence, she remanded six suspects, and a search for Yuvaraj began under the Goondas Act.
Unfortunately, on September 18, 2015, DSP Vishnupriya mysteriously committed suicide in her residence. Meanwhile, Yuvaraj, in incognito mode, continued his dramatic performances, releasing a call recording with DSP Vishnupriya, discussing case details and taunting the police investigation. He went the extra mile by announcing his surrender on October 11, 2015, via video conference on regional channels like Puthiyathalaimurai and News7 Tamil. Following this, he dramatically arrived like a self-styled martyr, accompanied by a crowd of fanatics, and surrendered at the Namakkal CB-CID office.
However, the case made no progress for the next six months, and Yuvaraj was released on conditional bail after the Madras HC quashed the Goondas Act against him. The repulsive fanfare of his caste supporters, welcoming him with caste flags and garlands, cannot be forgotten. Social media meme pages shared posts hailing Yuvaraj as a king, warrior, and lion.
On December 2, 2015, Yuvaraj and the 17 other convicts were detained before the CB-CID filed a chargesheet, and the trial was subsequently transferred to the Madurai Special Court. After seven years of upper-caste Hindu hysteria and blatant mockery of the justice system, on March 8, 2022, Yuvaraj and 10 others were sentenced to life imprisonment until death, with triple life imprisonment for Yuvaraj. In March 2023, dismissing the convicts’ appeals challenging their conviction, the Madras HC upheld the judgment.
How upper-caste Hindus reacted to the judgment
The judgment triggered upheavals among the Kongu Vellalars, who claimed that the judiciary had failed the Gounder community. Several tweets and social media posts challenged the judiciary, stating that while one Yuvaraj might have been convicted, there were thousands like him. Fan pages with thousands of followers not only propagated his views but also instigated others towards caste violence while spreading hatred against Dalits. Video clips of Yuvaraj were shared across social media with heroic background music.
Reactions to Yuvaraj’s parole
The gruesome murderer and caste fanatic, Yuvaraj, who was thrown behind bars after years of struggle, walked free on parole last week on March 11, 2025, for his daughter’s puberty ceremony. Yet again, he was met with a hero’s welcome by his casteist fanatics.
Videos circulating on social media show his family welcoming him with an aarti, while another clip captures him smiling and posing with his daughter. Kongu Vellalar youths and other supporters openly celebrated his release, treating him as a symbol of defiance.
Addressing them, Yuvaraj said, “I have to return to prison by 5 o’clock. I don’t have much time to talk to everyone here, but I am happy to see you. I’m confident, don’t worry about me.” His heroic speech, coupled with the unabashed public adulation he continues to receive, is a frightening reminder of the deep-rooted upper-caste Hindu pride that shields and glorifies even convicted criminals.
His fan pages, such as yuvaraj_gounder_varisugal, dcgp_tharai_it_wing, and others, shared posters announcing the time and date of his arrival on parole, welcoming all supporters. Photographs of his family celebration and Yuvaraj posing with his caste supporters were posted. This included several youths, which is an alarming detail.
