An undertrial prisoner allegedly died by suicide in a Patna’s Danapur jail ward, officials said on Wednesday.
The inmate, Bittu Kumar, a resident of Bhagwatipur village was found dead at around 1:50am, a prison official aware of the matter said.
“Prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide” he said.
The incident happened four days after he was arrested in connection with a theft and scuffle case, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Abhinav Dhiman said.
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The ASP said that the body has been sent for postmortem.
Meanwhile, the deceased person’s uncle alleged that his nephew took the extreme step due to torture by prison staff and other inmates.
“My nephew informed on October 15 that some inmate and staff were demanding money to provide bed, meal and threatened him with punishment. We were unable to pay”, the uncle added.
Refuting such allegations, Danapur jail superintendent Sanjay Gupta told HT that the undertrial was lodged in jail for the third time in the last two years for his alleged involvement in theft cases.
“The district administration is also probing the incident. If any person is found guilty, they will be punished accordingly,” he added.
Following the allegation, the prison department suspended two of its on-duty staff on the charges of dereliction of duty and issued a show cause against jail superintendent and deputy jail superintendent.
Reacting to the tragedy, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a high-level probe.
“How can an under-trial prisoner attempt suicide inside the overcrowded jail, when other inmates were present,” said BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand.
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