Tension simmered in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital following the death of a 26-year-old Dalit youth, arrested in connection with an assault case and later dying in judicial custody. According to the family, the deceased was subjected to the brutal custodial torture and caste-based discrimination by the Manamadurai police station.
The deceased has been identified as Akash Delison (26), a graduate from Krishnarajapuram. He was arrested along with another youth, Guna (23), after a sickle attack on two individuals in Zion Nagar on Friday, March 6, which was captured on CCTV footage.
A statement issued by the office of the State Director General of Police on Sunday said that Akash was a known history-sheeter with multiple cases pending against him, including one for attempted murder.
The deceased was treated at the Sivaganga Medical College and after that remained in judicial custody by the Judicial Magistrate, Manamadurai, until March 18. After that, he was shifted to the Convict Ward at Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai.
On March 8, he experienced breathing issues while undergoing treatment and later succumbed to injuries.
“They placed stones on his legs and beat him until his bones shattered,” Rajesh Kannan, the deceased’s father, said while talking to reporters.
Meantime, Opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu has strongly condemned the incident. “The reports that a young man named Akash from Manamadurai in Sivaganga district has died after being taken to a police station for questioning and allegedly assaulted by the police are shocking.
Earlier, the brutal custodial death of Ajith Kumar in the same Sivaganga district had shaken the entire state of Tamil Nadu. But did the “puppet Chief Minister,” who controls the police department, reform the police force after that incident? The answer is clearly no,” it posted on X.
“Shouldn’t the responsibility for the nearly 30 custodial deaths that have taken place during the DMK government fall on this “puppet Chief Minister”? It added.
“So far, the relatives have refused to accept the explanations given by the DMK government, the police, and the minister, and have been continuing their protest throughout the night,” the post reads.
Human rights activist Henry Tiphagne, executive director of People’s Watch Tamil Nadu, sending a video message, said, “JAACT (Joint Action Against Custodial Torture) demands that the postmortem be done in accordance with the guidelines of the ‘Santhosh vs. District Collector Madurai’ judgement and that the High Court take suo moto cognizance of the case.”
