Punjab, Haryana among worst states in prison deaths: NCRB

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana recorded the second-highest number of unnatural deaths of inmates in prisons in 2024, with 15 such deaths each, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Prison Statistics India 2024 report. Together, the two states accounted for nearly 18% of the 166 unnatural deaths reported in prisons across the country.Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of unnatural prison deaths at 26, followed by Punjab and Haryana. The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi reported 12 such deaths.Of the 15 unnatural deaths in Punjab prisons, 12 were suicides, two were murders by fellow inmates and one was an accidental death. In Haryana, all 15 unnatural deaths were suicides. In Uttar Pradesh, 16 deaths were due to suicide, one each due to murder and accident, while eight were classified under "other" causes.Punjab also recorded the second-highest number of natural deaths in prisons after Uttar Pradesh. While Uttar Pradesh reported 304 natural deaths of inmates, Punjab recorded 213, followed by Maharashtra with 136. Across the country, 1,737 natural deaths were recorded in prisons in 2024.The NCRB report showed that all 213 natural deaths in Punjab prisons were attributed to illness. In Uttar Pradesh, 260 deaths were linked to illness and 44 to ageing.Highest deaths due to HIV, TB in Punjab jailsPunjab recorded the highest number of inmate deaths due to tuberculosis (TB) and HIV in the country. Twenty-four inmates died due to TB and 23 due to HIV in Punjab prisons in 2024. Of the 44 HIV-related inmate deaths reported nationwide, more than half were from Punjab. Similarly, Punjab accounted for over 27% of the 88 TB-related inmate deaths recorded across the country.No other state or Union territory reported double-digit inmate deaths due to either TB or HIV. Haryana recorded the second-highest HIV-related inmate deaths with four, while Madhya Pradesh reported the second-highest TB-related inmate deaths with eight.Punjab, along with Bihar, also recorded the third-highest number of inmate deaths due to drugs or alcohol withdrawal, with five such deaths each. Haryana topped the list with eight deaths, followed by West Bengal with six. Nationwide, 35 inmates died due to drugs or alcohol withdrawal.The report further stated that 17 inmates in Punjab prisons died due to liver ailments and another 17 due to lung disease. Nine inmates died of heart-related diseases, four due to kidney ailments, two due to cancer and one due to brain haemorrhage. Another 110 inmate deaths were classified under "other" illnesses.Punjab's 26 prisons housed 30,663 inmates in 2024 against an official capacity of 26,543, indicating overcrowding in the state's jails.Violence, drug cases dominate Punjab jailsPunjab prisons recorded the highest number of clashes among inmates in the country in 2024, according to the NCRB's Prison Statistics India report. The state reported 47 clashes or group clashes without use of firearms, out of the nationwide total of 75 such incidents. Haryana recorded the second-highest number at 15.The clashes in Punjab prisons led to the death of two inmates and injuries to 46 others, while four jail personnel were also injured. In Haryana, 15 clashes left 16 inmates injured. Madhya Pradesh recorded six such incidents.Haryana was the only state where prisons reported clashes involving firearms. Four such incidents in Haryana jails left eight inmates injured in 2024.Punjab also recorded the highest number of convicts jailed in cases related to liquor and narcotic drugs. As of December 31, 2024, Punjab prisons housed 2,169 such convicts, nearly 25% of the national total of 8,721. Bihar and Madhya Pradesh followed.The state also had 9,148 undertrials jailed in liquor and narcotics cases, the second-highest in the country after Bihar.In addition, Punjab recorded the second-highest number of convicts jailed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), with 20 such convicts lodged in prisons. Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 30 convicts. Punjab also had 95 undertrials booked under UAPA-related offences, second only to Jammu and Kashmir.