The family of Sabari Varman staging a protest near Ethankadu junction after receiving the body on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGMENT
The family of custodial death victim S. Sabari Varman, 35, a differently abled man from Ethankadu in Kanniyakumari district, launched a fresh protest after receiving the body on Friday, alleging that no assistance from the government had been provided so far. Later, they withdrew the protest.The body, kept in the mortuary van, was parked along the roadside near Ethankadu junction.Sabari Varaman was found unconscious at his cell in district jail in Nagercoil and was taken to Kanniyakumari Government Medical College and Hospital (KKGMCH) in the early hours of Monday (July 13), where doctors declared him dead on arrival.The post-mortem was conducted on Tuesday (July 14) and the autopsy report revealed 19 injuries in the body of Sabari Varman. Against this backdrop Nesamoni Nagar police have arrested three warders of the prison on the same day and eight prison inmates on Wednesday (July 15) in connection with his death. A murder case was registered against 11 individuals at Nesamoni Nagar police station.On Thursday (July 16) Ministers S. Rajesh Kumar and Srinath along with Kanniyakumari District Collector M. Prathap and Superintendent of Police R. Stalin visited the family of Sabari Varman to hand over the welfare assistance. According to sources, the package included ₹10 lakh cash, a temporary government job for his wife and 1.75 cents of land.However, the family initially refused to accept the assistance and insisted that they will receive the body only after verifying the genuineness of the autopsy report through People’s Watch, a human rights NGO.Henri Tiphagne of People’s Watch said that video footages of the autopsy procedure were compiled into a single video and forensic experts arranged by Joint Action Against Custodial Torture (JAACT) analysed the footage and report. He said the experts found no discrepancies in the video footage recorded and findings in the post mortem report.Following this verification, the kin of Sabari Varman received the body. However, they launched a protest near Ethankadu junction, demanding welfare assistance be handed over immediately.Later, the family withdrew the protest after holding talks with the Revenue Department officials and his body was subsequently cremated. Published - July 17, 2026 08:23 pm IST
