A 34-year-old differently-abled man, Sabari Varman, died in Nagercoil jail under suspicious circumstances on July 13, 2026. Varman was arrested on July 9 for allegedly possessing banned gutka and was remanded in custody. Following his death, his family refused to receive his body and demanded a thorough investigation.
The police arrested the chief warder and two warders of the Nagercoil jail on Tuesday, July 14, after a post-mortem examination revealed that the victim had sustained injuries at several places. Superintendent of Police Stalin conducted an investigation and assured protesters that action would be taken based on the post-mortem report and the findings of his investigation. Judicial Magistrate Sathyamurthy also conducted an inquiry into the incident.
Chief warder Jegan, 47, and warders Sivakumar and Thiruvudai Nambi were picked up for inquiry and subsequently arrested. The police had earlier registered a case against Sabari Varman at South Thamaraikulam police station for selling banned tobacco products. He was remanded in judicial custody at the district jail in Nagercoil on July 9.
Sabari Varman was found unconscious in his cell in the early hours of July 13 and was taken to Kanniyakumari Government Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. His relatives gathered at the hospital entrance, demanding an investigation into his death and refusing to receive the body until the cause of death was ascertained.
The post-mortem examination revealed 19 injuries on Sabari Varman’s body, including abrasions and contusions. Further examination found a shaft fracture in the underlying right and second metacarpal bone. The police have altered the case to include section 103 of the BNS Act and have added eight prison inmates as accused.
The eight inmates, identified as V. Vishnu, A. Sarathi, A. Jegan, J. Sarath, R. Veriya Perumal, G. Sethuram, A. Ajith, and R. Aravind, were arrested on Wednesday, July 15. DMK deputy general secretary and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi visited Sabari Varman’s family and offered her condolences, calling for the case to be transferred to the CBI for probe.
