Police probe two deaths in Tihar Jail

Another case being investigated by police involves the death of a jail inmate,allegedly caused by forcible consumption of a poisonous substance.

In both cases,the jail authorities had claimed that there had been no foul play. But the post-mortem reports have made police sit up.

Police said that in the first incident,a case was registered at Hari Nagar police station of West Delhi on January 5 after the post-mortem report stated that a fall from stairs could not have resulted in the injury being blamed for the death of Rakesh,an inmate of Jail No. 8.

He was taken to the jail hospital in November and doctors and the medical officer said there was no foul play since other inmates of the jail claimed he had fallen down the stairs. “The post-mortem examination conducted at DDU Hospital confirmed that the internal organs of Rakesh had suffered blows,” a police officer said.

In the second case,an inmate of Jail No. 3 was found dead under mysterious circumstances on December 1. While the final post-mortem report is still awaited,doctors observed that the prisoner may have died of forcible consumption of a poisonous substance.

Shankar alias Sheru was found unconscious in a corner of Ward 2 in Jail No. 3. For a final opinion on the cause of death,the viscera,blood samples,heart,lungs,spleen and kidneys have been preserved. “Since the doctors in their report have mentioned that Sheru must have been forced to consume a poisonous substance,we are probing the case,” an officer said.

R N Sharma,DIG (Prison),said: “Normally in these kind of cases,we order an inquiry by the jail superintendent concerned. We will hold an inquiry in these cases too.”