Beaten to Death at Rehab: Youth with ADHD Dies in Tamil Nadu

Pollachi, Tamil Nadu – In a disturbing incident that has shocked the nation, 24-year-old S.R. Varunkanth, a youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), was allegedly beaten to death by caretakers at the Yuthira Charitable Trust rehabilitation center near Pollachi. Varunkanth, who was admitted on February 4, 2025, for behavioral therapy and support, was reportedly subjected to repeated beatings with sticks and plastic pipes starting May 9, ultimately leading to his death on May 12.

Instead of reporting the death, the staff allegedly buried his body on the center’s property in Nadupuni and fabricated a false narrative. On May 13, they claimed that Varunkanth had gone missing during an outing with 27 other inmates to the Aliyar Dam. According to police, staff members even visited areas of the dam not covered by CCTV to bolster their story.

The youth’s father, Ravikumar, was informed of the disappearance on May 15 and immediately filed a police complaint. Investigations soon revealed inconsistencies in the staff’s account. Authorities formed six special teams, and by May 24, police exhumed Varunkanth’s decomposed body and conducted a spot postmortem.

Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the crime:

• Giriram (36), a trustee

• Senthil Babu (54), the father of another trustee

• Nithish (26), a staff member

• Ranganayaki (36), from Thoppampatti

They have confessed to their involvement and were remanded to judicial custody. However, two key suspects—trustees Shaji and Dr. Kavitha—are still absconding, and police are continuing their search.

Police Superintendent Dr. K. Karthikeyan commented:

“The youth behaved very aggressively at the home. The trustees and staff beat him with sticks and plastic pipes on multiple occasions. He died on May 12. Our special teams are actively pursuing the absconding trustees.”

The victim’s family had initially paid ₹50,000 as a donation, agreeing to ₹1 lakh in total and ₹40,000 per month for Varunkanth’s care. They were only allowed to visit him once every six months.

The case has ignited national outrage, particularly among mental health professionals, disability rights activists, and civil society. Calls for urgent reform in mental health and rehabilitation centers are growing louder.

In a widely shared LinkedIn post, therapist and founder of Mending Minds, Mitali Choudhary, wrote:

This tragedy has reignited debates around the state of mental healthcare in India and the urgent need for oversight, regular inspections, and mechanisms to hold rehabilitation centers accountable.

(Rehash/Dr. Shreya Vohra/MS)