Chennai: The body of a 26-year-old Dalit youth, who died under torture in police custody in March, was cremated under tight security at an electric crematorium in Madurai on Wednesday.
The funeral of the Dalit youth, which took place in Madurai after 101 days following a Madras High Court directive, highlights ongoing concerns about police accountability and human rights violations.
The funeral witnessed intense grief from family members who had refused to accept the body for over three months, demanding immediate arrest of all police personnel involved in the custodial murder.
Allegations of brutality in custody
Aakash, a resident of Manamadurai in Sivaganga district, was arrested by the local police on March 6 in connection with an assault case.
Although the police claimed that he had fractured his leg in an attempt to escape, Akash reportedly recorded a statement before a judicial magistrate that he had been brutally assaulted by police personnel and had broken his leg.
He died on March 8 at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, and the subsequent autopsy report showed around 28 injuries on his body, leading to widespread outrage and protests by family members and Scheduled Caste welfare organisations.
High Court intervention and investigation
Following the adverse reaction, the case was transferred to the CB-CID on March 9 and six police personnel, including an inspector and a sub-inspector, were suspended.
Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, the Madras High Court on March 13 directed the CB-CID to register a murder case and register a case under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the accused officers.
The CB-CID has since interrogated 11 personnel, including Manamadurai DSP Raja and several inspectors.
The victim’s father, Rajesh Kannan, had filed a petition in the high court seeking a compensation of Rs 50 lakh and the immediate arrest of all 16 police personnel involved in the incident. The family staged a continuous sit-in protest near the old bus stand in Manamadurai.
The high court ordered that if the family did not receive the body by 5 pm, the local administration should proceed with the respectful funeral. In view of the non-compliance, the court ordered the Madurai District Magistrate, Corporation Commissioner and hospital authorities to conduct the funeral.
The situation at the crematorium turned emotional as Akash’s mother, shedding tears, threw handfuls of dirt at the police personnel and shouted that those responsible for her son’s death would face vengeance and destruction.