CHENNAI: A 34-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly selling tobacco products and remanded to judicial custody has died in prison in Tamil Nadu‘s Kanniyakumari district, triggering protests by his family, who have alleged custodial assault.The deceased, identified as Sabarivarman, was a resident of the Nagercoil area. Following his death, relatives staged a road blockade, refusing to accept his body and demanding a thorough investigation into the incident.The family alleged that Sabarivarman’s body bore visible injury marks, claiming he was beaten to death while in custody.“We want justice. The injuries on his body clearly show he was assaulted by the police. We will not take the body until those responsible are held accountable,” a relative of the deceased said during the protest.Kanniyakumari district superintendent of police Dr R Stalin said an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death.“We are currently investigating this matter. Once the post-mortem is completed, I will be able to provide further details,” SP Stalin told reporters.Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin expressed shock and demanded accountability from the state government.Stalin highlighted that Sabarivarman was a “differently-abled” individual who was reportedly in good health at the time of his arrest. He rejected the police’s claim that the death was due to “ill health”, pointing instead to the family’s allegations that the body was covered in injuries from a police assault.“I was shocked to learn that Sabarivarman, a differently-abled young man from Nagercoil, was arrested by the police and died while in judicial custody. According to the police, Sabarivarman, who was in good health when arrested, died due to ill health after the inquiry ended and he was imprisoned.”“However, his family members are protesting, alleging that Sabarivarman’s body was covered in injuries and that the police beat him to death without regard for his disability,” he posted on X.He further pointed out a disparity in law enforcement, alleging that while Sabarivarman faced fatal consequences in custody for the sale of gutkha, a TVK executive arrested for the same offence in Erode was released on personal bail the same day.“The chief minister, who keeps the police under his control, must provide an appropriate response to this. The police who arrested him claimed they seized gutkha from Sabarivarman’s shop, but on the same day, they released on personal bail Arun, a TVK executive arrested for selling gutkha in Erode. The police’s approach of one law for an ordinary person like Sabarivarman and another for a TVK executive is highly condemnable,” he posted on X.He demanded that those responsible for the death be brought to justice and that the state government ensure the victim’s family receives a fair inquiry.“Appropriate action must be taken against the involved police personnel, and those responsible for Sabarivarman’s death must be brought to justice with due punishment. This government must ensure that justice is served for Sabarivarman’s death,” he added.DMK leader I Paranthamen also criticised the state government over the incident.“The TVK government was responsible for the custodial death of differently-abled man Sabarivarman in Kanyakumari and claimed that the victim died after being taken into custody in a gutka-related case. He accused the government of remaining silent, attempting to divert attention from the incident, and failing to act against those responsible. Paranthaman also alleged a deterioration in law and order under the TVK government and said that if action is not taken against the officials concerned, the DMK will approach the court seeking a CBI probe.”“While this incident was unfolding in Kanyakumari, the chief minister was busy filming scenes —such as touring the streets of Perambur and distributing rice at a ration shop—to keep the cameras focused on himself and divert attention from the actual event,” Paranthamen added further.
