The Madurai district authorities on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) took the body of Akash Delison, 26, who died on March 8 allegedly due to custodial torture by the Manamadurai police, to the Thathaneri cremation yard, after his family members refused to receive his body.

Amid tight security, the body was transported from the mortuary of Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, as family members, along with their supporters, staged a protest against the attempt to take the body. The move comes after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the officials to take immediate steps for a dignified disposal of his mortal remains.

The family members said that they would go on appeal against the court order and sought more time for cremation. However, the officials told them that they would implement the court’s direction.

As tension mounted, 14 persons were taken into custody for trying to prevent the officials from shifting the body. However, the parents, sister, and uncle of Akash Delison were taken to Thathaneri cremation yard, where the body would be cremated.