Custodial death victim Akash's kin kept under 'house arrest' over fears of disrupting CM Vijay's convoy

MADURAI: Sivaganga police allegedly prevented the family members of Scheduled Caste youth Akash Delison, who died in police custody, from leaving Manamadurai since Sunday (September 27) evening, fearing that they would approach Chief Minister Vijay's convoy, as they had done in Chennai, seeking justice.

A police team has allegedly been following the movements of Akash Delison’s parents and activist M Lenin, who has been supporting the family in taking up the issue on various forums.

“Police personnel asked us whether we had any plan to block the Chief Minister’s convoy. Even after we told them that we had no such plan, they continued to harass us,” said Lenin, coordinator of the Justice for Akash Delison Murder Campaign Group.

Akash’s father, Rajesh Kannan, opened his shop in the morning to attend to his business, but the police allegedly continued to monitor his movements.

“Police personnel waited near his shop and watched his movements. They also came looking for him at medical shops where he had gone to purchase medicines,” Lenin alleged.

Only after Rajesh Kannan threatened to self-immolate did the police leave him alone, Lenin said.

When contacted, a senior police officer confirmed that police personnel had been deployed to prevent the family from causing any disruption to the Chief Minister’s convoy, referring to their earlier attempt in Chennai.

“It will also affect their safety. We did not harass them,” the officer said.

It is worth recalling that Akash Delison's kin had attempted to approach the convoy of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and submit a petition outside the Secretariat (Fort St George) in Chennai on September 3, 2026.