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Inmate dies in Nagercoil prison, family members allege torture
A 35-year-old repeat offender lodged in the Nagercoil sub-jail in Tamil Nadu’s Kanniyakumari district died on Monday, triggering protests by his family, who alleged he was tortured in police custody
A 35-year-old repeat offender lodged in the Nagercoil sub-jail in Tamil Nadu’s Kanniyakumari district died on Monday, triggering protests by his family, who alleged he was tortured in police custody.
According to the police, S Sabari Varman, who was physically disabled, was arrested on July 9 for allegedly possessing around 200 grams of gutkha at his shop in South Thamaraikulam, Nagercoil. He had been lodged in the Nagercoil sub-jail since then.
Police said Sabari Varman complained of health issues in the jail on Monday and was taken to the Kanniyakumari Government Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
On Tuesday, his relatives staged a protest, alleging he died due to custodial torture and demanding an impartial investigation. They were later pacified by senior police officials, sources said.
A police official denied the allegations of custodial torture and said investigators had submitted evidence showing Sabari Varman was in good health when he left the police station and when he was admitted to the sub-jail.
“We have submitted the necessary proof and an inquiry is going on. The fitness certificate provided by doctors did not say anything about external injuries. He was doing fine and was not suffering from any other issues when he was taken from the police station to the jail,” the official told HT on condition of anonymity.
The official said Sabari Varman’s relatives had also met him in jail and had not raised any complaint at the time.
“There has been adequate awareness among the police personnel after similar incidents including the one occurred in Sathankulam. We are very sure that there was no such issues (like custodial deaths),” he said.
Another senior police official said the investigation into the alleged custodial death was underway and that three jail wardens had been arrested.
“The case is still under investigation. He was doing fine when he was at the police station and also at the jail. We have arrested three jail wardens in this connection. Right now, I cannot tell anything more than this. An investigation is on,” he told HT.
The case has drawn comparisons with the June 2020 custodial deaths of father and son P Jayaraj and J Bennix in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district, after they were allegedly assaulted by police for violating Covid-19 restrictions. In April 2026, nine policemen were sentenced to death in the case.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nainar Nagenthran demanded a thorough probe into the incident.
“Sabarivarman, who was arrested in a gutkha case on July 9 and lodged in the Nagercoil jail, died of a heart attack while in prison. However, his relatives are protesting, alleging that Sabarivarman was beaten to death in custody.”
“The chief minister Joseph Vijay’s government must conduct a proper investigation into this incident, which causes severe shock and raises various suspicions,” he said in a social media post on Tuesday.
He urged the chief minister to ascertain the true cause of death without any compromise and ensure the health and safety of prisoners lodged in jails.
