The Sivaganga District Court granted bail to six police personnel involved in the murder case of Akash Delison, a youth from Manamadurai. The court ordered them to submit surety bonds within 20 days.
On the night of March 5, Akash Delison, 26, a resident of Krishnarajapuram near Manamadurai, Sivaganga district, was arrested by the police in connection with the hacking of two persons in Zion Nagar, Manamadurai. As he was injured, he was admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, where he died.
The police said that he sustained injuries when he attempted to escape and fell from a bridge at the time of arrest. He died of his injuries despite treatment at the hospital. His relatives staged continuous protests, alleging that he died because of assault in the hands of the police.
The post-mortem examination revealed injuries in 28 places. Subsequently, Inspector of Police Dileepan and five other policemen were suspended. The CBCID police registered a case of murder and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and began investigation.
They filed a chargesheet in the Madurai court on June 18., stating that the police took Akash Delison to an eucalyptus tree-filled forest area near Manamadurai and assaulted him on his leg with an iron rod. This caused a bone fracture, leading to fat embolism (blockage in the blood vessel), which resulted in his death.
It was further stated that the police recorded false information that he sustained injuries after falling down fron the bridge while trying to escape from the police after hiding the iron rod used in the assault.
Additionally, Inspector of Police Dileepan, Sub-Inspector Guhan and constables Mahendran, Kaleeswaran, Deiventhiran, and Palaniyappan were added as accused in the case. The trial is under way in the Sivaganga Special Court for SC/ST Atrocities Act Cases.
On Thursday, all six accused police officers appeared in court. Judge Nagarajan adjourned the trial of the case to October 9. All the six police personnel filed applications seeking bail. The judge released them on bail, ordering each of them to submit surety from two persons within 20 days and pay ₹20,000 each.
The judge said if they did not cooperate with the investigation, severe action would be taken against them. Also, if they attempted to abscond without appearing for the trial, their bail would be cancelled and properties confiscated.
