In a gruesome incident in Tamil Nadu, a 38-year old trans woman priest and Bharatanatyam artiste was brutally murdered in Thoothukudi. The deceased has been identified as Rajathi, who was working as a priest at a tiny Mariamman temple in SS Manikapuram area in Thoothukudi for the past few years.
Her body was found inside the sanctum of the temple on Friday morning. The accused has been identified as 23-year-old Maruthu, who owns the land on which the temple is built. According to the police, he, along with his aide, is said to have visited the temple with a sickle when Rajathi was performing a pooja inside the sanctum.
The accused and his aide then attacked her, chopped her body and placed her head outside the temple, Grace Banu, the founder of Trans Rights Now Collective and a native of Thoothukudi, told TNM. According to sources from the trans community, the accused was harassing Rajathi for the past one year.
“We heard that he used to threaten her and shout at her as the land belonged to his grandmother. She had been getting calls from him for the past one year,” Grace says.
Meanwhile, both the accused have been absconding post the incident, according to sources. Rajathi’s remains have been sent for post mortem and an investigation has been initiated. The funeral ceremony will be held in Thoothukudi on Saturday.
Speaking to TNM, Rajamani, the sub-inspector of Thoothukudi North police station added, “We have registered an FIR in the case. The accused has been identified as a 23-year old man who lives in the same area. No arrest has been made until now.”
Source: The News Minute