Bootlegger’s death in Trichy prison: Family ends protest, accepts his body

TRICHY: After a protest that lasted more than ten days, the family members of a bootlegger, who died in Trichy Central Prison, received his mortal remains on Tuesday.

The body of M Dravida Mani, 40, of Gandhi Nagar in Palur village was handed over to his family from the mortuary of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) in Trichy. He is survived by his wife and three children. His family members and relatives conducted the final rites and laid his body to rest in his native village.

The family's decision to accept his body came after the revelation of the report of the video-graphed post-mortem, which reportedly found no evidence of foul play surrounding his death.

The police and the family members also brought the matter to the attention of Trichy collector M Pradeep Kumar after the Madurai bench of Madras high court dismissed the petition of the family members to conduct re-postmortem. The family members had an audience with the collector, during which they requested the govt to provide them with a house Following an assurance, they agreed to receive his body.

Prior to this, the family had demanded a govt job for one of their members, citing the alleged suspicious circumstances surrounding Dravida Mani's death while in judicial custody.

Dravida Mani was arrested by the Jeeyapuram police on Sept 26 for the alleged illegal sale of liquor at Mutharasanallur. The police discovered a substantial quantity of 66 IMFL bottles in his possession. His accomplice, Sudhakar alias Neechal, managed to evade arrest.

Dravida Mani was produced before the judicial magistrate III, Trichy, who remanded him in judicial custody till Oct 10, 2024. The police had previously stated that "Following a comprehensive medical checkup in the Government Hospital, Jeeyapuram, confirming his fitness, he was interned in the Central Prison, Trichy, on Sept 26."

On Sept 28, while incarcerated, Dravida Mani's health took a severe turn for the worse. Despite receiving immediate first aid at the central prison hospital, doctors deemed it necessary to transfer him to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) for advanced medical care. However, upon his arrival, the attending doctors examined him and pronounced him dead.


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