Thalaikoothal: The Dark Secret of Elder Killings in Tamil Nadu

Key Points:

India is a land known for its diversity, values, and strong cultural beliefs. Among the many virtues passed down through generations, respect and reverence for parents hold the highest place. Parents nurture us, fulfill our wishes, and guide us through life. As they grow older, children are expected to care for them with love and gratitude. A famous saying captures this sentiment:

This means that a mother is equivalent to all pilgrimage sites and a father to all deities; hence, one should worship and honour their parents in every possible way.

Yet, shockingly, in a few parts of Tamil Nadu, elderly parents face grave danger from their own families. A horrific custom known as “Thalaikoothal”—a form of senicide, meaning the killing of the elderly—has been practiced for decades, primarily in rural areas of Virudhunagar, Madurai, Theni, and Ramanathapuram districts.

Thalaikoothal, meaning "pouring water on the head," is a ritual where aged family members are deliberately killed, often portrayed as an act of "mercy killing." In reality, it is nothing short of homicide, frequently performed without the elder's consent. This custom targets terminally ill, bedridden, or financially dependent elderly individuals, often viewed as a burden on impoverished families.

The process is chilling:

• The elderly person is given an oil massage followed by a cold-water bath early in the morning.
  
  

• They are forced to drink large quantities of tender coconut water, which is high in potassium and causes renal failure.
  
  

• The drastic drop in body temperature (down to 92–93°F) and kidney shutdown leads to death within 2–3 days.
  
  

If the initial method fails, families often resort to other cruel techniques to end the lives of elderly members. These include feeding mud mixed with water to induce severe infections and septicaemia—body's most extreme response to an infection—forcing hard snacks like murukku down their throat to cause choking, or administering animal poison. In some cases, the victim is suffocated by closing their nostrils while being fed milk, leading to death by aspiration which means breathing in a foreign object. Shockingly, funeral preparations often begin even before the person has died, and most of these cases go unreported, as death certificates are routinely signed off as “natural death due to old age,” allowing the practice to continue unchecked.

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Historically, this practice likely emerged during times of famine under British rule, when extreme poverty left families unable to afford treatment for the sick or elderly. Over time, it gained social acceptance, often justified as a “dignified end to suffering.” Today, while some cases are motivated by poverty, others are driven by property disputes, greed for inheritance, or to claim government jobs of deceased elders.

Thalaikoothal violates Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life. Active euthanasia is illegal in India, and such killings are punishable under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder) or as culpable homicide under Section 300. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, and its 2019 amendment make it a legal obligation for children to care for their aging parents. However, poor implementation and lack of awareness allow this barbaric practice to continue in secret.

In 2020, a shocking case came to light when a family of four was arrested in Madurai for smothering their 75-year-old relative, Karuppayi, to death and burning her body in a deserted area. The family claimed poverty and pressure to vacate their house as reasons, adding that the elderly woman allegedly wished to die. Police investigations revealed they had planned the killing and disposal of the body secretly. This incident highlighted how senicide is still socially normalized in certain communities, despite being illegal.

Reports suggest that preparations for the funeral often begin even before the killing. Surprisingly, most deaths go unreported because they are recorded as natural deaths due to old age, with doctors often signing off death certificates without questioning the cause.

Similar practices of senicide have existed historically across various cultures, such as Ubasute in Japan, where the elderly were abandoned on mountains to die; Lapot in Serbia and Attestupa in Scandinavia, which involved ritual killings of elders; and similar customs reported in ancient Israel and Sardinia. While most of these practices have long been abandoned, Thalaikoothal still persists in modern India, making it a deeply troubling and urgent social issue that demands immediate attention.

Despite its severity, senicide remains under-documented and under-reported, often overshadowed by other social issues such as gender-based killings. To put an end to this cruel tradition, there is an urgent need for widespread awareness campaigns that educate communities about the rights, dignity, and value of senior citizens. At the same time, government policies and financial support systems for impoverished families must be strengthened to reduce the economic pressures that often lead to such inhumane acts. Non-governmental organizations, such as HelpAge India, along with the nationwide senior citizen helpline (14567), should be more actively promoted to provide timely assistance and intervention. Moreover, citizens must be encouraged and empowered to report such incidents to the police or relevant NGOs, ensuring accountability and protection for the elderly.

This gruesome practice of Thalaikoothal exposes the dark side of tradition—a reality where an elderly person’s life is weighed against convenience, expenses, or property greed. Thalaikoothal is not “mercy killing,” but a heinous crime against humanity still lingering in modern India. It is a painful reminder that we must question and hold accountable such inhumane customs disguised as tradition. [Rh/VP]

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