Prisoner killed self, says jailer; murder, allege kin, seek probe

AGRA: A 24-year-old prisoner, Sajid, died by suicide inside Etah’s district jail, said jail superintendent Amit Chaudhary on Tuesday, reports Deepak Lavania. Sajid, who belonged to Etah’s Hindu Nagar, was convicted under IPC section 376 (rape) and Pocso Act.

His family crowded the main gate of the jail and demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter. They accused the jail administration of ‘murder’, claiming that Sajid died at around 7am but they were informed at 10pm.

“Sajid could not have committed suicide on Monday. He was fine when I met him two days ago in prison. This is a case of murder,” alleged Salman, his brother.

The jail superintendent said the matter will be investigated at jail administration level and a letter for a magisterial inquiry had been drafted. “Strict action will be taken, if anyone is found guilty. The body was sent for postmortem,” Chaudhary added.

Zaheer Ahmed, a local politician, met the family, and said, “Jail officials say Sajid took his life inside the jail kitchen. A fair probe needs to be conducted to ensure the family gets justice.”