The Tamil Nadu government informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that the CB-CID has reclassified the case related to the death of Akash Delison (26) of Manamadurai, Sivaganga district, as a murder case. The agency has also invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the government side said.
The development came during the hearing of a petition filed by Rajesh Kannan, Akash Delison’s father, seeking a CB-CID probe and compensation of Rs 50 lakh. The petitioner alleged that his son sustained a fracture and injuries due to police assault and later died on March 8 after being treated at Sivaganga Government Hospital and then shifted to Madurai Government Hospital.
The government, however, stated earlier that Akash Delison had prior cases and that his name figured in a history sheet. It claimed that during a drunken quarrel on March 6, he attacked two persons—Azhagar and Jayakumar—with a sickle and also damaged a two-wheeler, and that he suffered a fracture after falling from a bridge when police tried to arrest him.
During arguments, the petitioner’s counsel referred to a statement recorded by a judicial magistrate at the Sivaganga Government Hospital, in which Akash Delison allegedly said he was assaulted by about 10 men not in uniform, his eyes were covered, and he was threatened to say he fell from the Melappasali bridge.
The court also dealt with protests that had disrupted traffic on the Madurai–Rameswaram four-lane road near Manamadurai. A peace committee comprising advocates was appointed to hold talks and shift the protest to the old bus stand area. After the committee reported that protesters would cooperate if the case was registered as murder, the government said sections were altered and a case was filed under BNS Section 103 and SC/ST Act provisions, following which the judge directed protesters to vacate the highway junction.
