On 8 March, a 26-year-old man died in a hospital in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state, allegedly due to injuries he sustained in police custody.
Almost two months later, his body is still in a hospital morgue. His parents say that they will collect it and conduct his last rites only after the policemen responsible for their son’s death are arrested.
They allege that Akash Delison was brutally tortured by the police after he and his friend, Gopi, were arrested in a criminal case.
Akash died two days after his arrest while Gopi remains in judicial custody. Akash and his family are members of the Dalit community, which lies at the bottom of a harsh caste hierarchy.
Police have denied the allegation, saying Akash was injured after jumping off a bridge while fleeing from the police.
After widespread protests, six officers were suspended and the Tamil Nadu government has ordered an investigation by the state’s top anti-crime agency.
Akash’s alleged custody death made headlines as the third such case reported this year in Tamil Nadu.
In February, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that the death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar, a security guard at a temple in Sivaganga district, was due to police excesses, external.
Kumar was detained by the police in a robbery case – which the CBI said later was based on a false complaint – in June 2025 and died a day later in custody.
Earlier this month, a special court in Madurai sentenced nine police officers to death for the deaths in custody of a father and son in Tamil Nadu in 2020 that had triggered widespread outrage and protests.
Cases like these underscore the pervasive nature of custody killings by the police and security services, not just in Tamil Nadu but across India.
According to data, external from the federal home ministry, India recorded 170 custody death cases between 2025 and 2026 (until 15 March).
The northern state of Bihar recorded the highest number of cases at 19, followed by the western state of Rajasthan with 18 cases and northern Uttar Pradesh state with 15.
