Tamil Nadu: Dalit youth dies in custody, alleges police torture
Aakash, a 26-year-old Dalit man in custody in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, died after allegedly being tortured in police custody.
Arrested after a clash and charged with attempt to murder, he told a magistrate he was picked up on the evening of March 6 and gave a recorded statement to a magistrate before his death, now seen as his dying declaration, which has sparked serious questions about police brutality and human rights.
Aakash's dying declaration sparks outrage
In his final statement, Aakash claimed police blindfolded him, crushed his leg between stones, and beat him with an iron rod. He also said officers tried to force him to say he was injured by falling off a bridge.
Human rights advocate Henri Tiphagne called the dying declaration a crucial piece of evidence.
The case is now with the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department, but no arrests have been made yet.
Similar case last year raised questions about police brutality
This is not an isolated incident: less than a year earlier in the same district, Ajith Kumar also died after alleged police torture in custody.
These repeated cases have put Tamil Nadu's police practices under serious public scrutiny.