The dying declaration of 26-year-old Akash Delison has confirmed the allegations of custodial torture levelled by his family. Akash, a Dalit man, who was arrested on attempted murder charges, died in police custody on March 8 in Manamadurai, Sivaganga district.
According to the statement, Akash, who was an engineering graduate, was picked up by 10 police personnel in plain clothes. He was detained along with his alleged accomplice Guna on March 6. They were arrested for allegedly attacking P Jayakumar (37) and R Azhagar (40) with sharp weapons.
A day before he died, the judicial magistrate of Manamadurai recorded Akash’s statement while he was undergoing treatment for a broken leg at the Government Medical College Hospital in Sivaganga. In his deposition to magistrate Afzal Fathima, Akash described in detail how the police allegedly broke his leg using an iron rod after blindfolding him.
“…They tied my eyes with a white cloth. They blindfolded me and took me alone in a separate car. They made me sit. They placed two stones, one under my ankle and another under my knee. They placed a wet sack over my leg. Then, they struck my right leg once with great force using an iron rod. Immediately upon being hit, the bone broke and protruded out, and there was bleeding. I writhed in pain. After that, they removed my blindfold,” the statement read.
Akash died on March 8 while undergoing treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.
The police had initially maintained that Akash sustained the leg injury after falling off a bridge while attempting to evade arrest. His family disputed the claim and refused to accept his body, demanding justice.
Following widespread outrage, the investigation into the custodial death was transferred to the CB-CID.
Akash’s death is the latest in a series of alleged custodial violence cases involving Dalit men in the state. In the past two months alone, four Dalit men have died due to alleged police brutality. Human rights activists say the cases point to a troubling pattern, arguing that caste prejudice within the policing system leaves Dalits particularly vulnerable to custodial violence.
Reacting to the incident, Sivaganga MP Karthi Chidambaram called for urgent police reforms.
“Police custodial deaths are a systematic problem in Tamil Nadu. This is repeatedly occurring over the years across governments. We need urgent and immediate police reforms. A complete overhaul of the police service is required. Compulsory psychological evaluation and retraining of all personnel must be done. A Police Reformation Commission must be constituted,” he said.