Body of rape accused given over to family
Source: Agencies |
March 13, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE body of a man who died in a New Delhi jail while in the midst of a high-profile rape trial was released to his family yesterday after a post-mortem exam aimed at determining whether he committed suicide or was killed.
Ram Singh, 33, was found dead at New Delhi's Tihar Jail early on Monday, in a small cell he shared with three other prisoners. Authorities said he hanged himself, but his family and lawyer insisted foul play was involved. A magistrate is investigating.
The Press Trust of India, citing police sources, reported the initial post mortem showed Singh died due to hanging and suggested he committed suicide.
Singh was facing the death penalty in his trial for the gang rape and fatal beating of a woman on a New Delhi bus, a crime that horrified Indians and galvanized many to protest the treatment of women here. Four other men and a juvenile remain on trial for the attack.
Officials from the jail officially informed the court yesterday that Singh committed suicide, according to A. P. Singh, a defense lawyer in the case. The jail was expected to file a more detailed report to the court tomorrow, he said.
The defense lawyers also asked the court to move their clients to more secure cells, away from hardened criminals; jail officials said the men were getting proper security, the lawyer said.
Questions about prison security
Journalists outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences saw Singh's body loaded onto an ambulance and taken away accompanied by his family yesterday afternoon.
Vimla Mehra, the director general of the jail, declined to say how Ram Singh could have managed to kill himself without alerting the other inmates in his small cell or the guards.
Kiran Bedi, the former director of the jail and now an activist, said prison officials had a moral and legal obligation to ensure Singh's safety. She expressed surprise authorities had not been monitoring him with cameras.
"You are duty bound to protect the lives of the prisoners," she said.
Mamta Sharma, chair of India's National Commission for Women, said jail authorities had to explain Singh's death "despite so much protection, so much precaution, so much security."
Ram Singh's father, Mangelal Singh, said his son had been raped in prison by other inmates.
Ram Singh, 33, was found dead at New Delhi's Tihar Jail early on Monday, in a small cell he shared with three other prisoners. Authorities said he hanged himself, but his family and lawyer insisted foul play was involved. A magistrate is investigating.
The Press Trust of India, citing police sources, reported the initial post mortem showed Singh died due to hanging and suggested he committed suicide.
Singh was facing the death penalty in his trial for the gang rape and fatal beating of a woman on a New Delhi bus, a crime that horrified Indians and galvanized many to protest the treatment of women here. Four other men and a juvenile remain on trial for the attack.
Officials from the jail officially informed the court yesterday that Singh committed suicide, according to A. P. Singh, a defense lawyer in the case. The jail was expected to file a more detailed report to the court tomorrow, he said.
The defense lawyers also asked the court to move their clients to more secure cells, away from hardened criminals; jail officials said the men were getting proper security, the lawyer said.
Questions about prison security
Journalists outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences saw Singh's body loaded onto an ambulance and taken away accompanied by his family yesterday afternoon.
Vimla Mehra, the director general of the jail, declined to say how Ram Singh could have managed to kill himself without alerting the other inmates in his small cell or the guards.
Kiran Bedi, the former director of the jail and now an activist, said prison officials had a moral and legal obligation to ensure Singh's safety. She expressed surprise authorities had not been monitoring him with cameras.
"You are duty bound to protect the lives of the prisoners," she said.
Mamta Sharma, chair of India's National Commission for Women, said jail authorities had to explain Singh's death "despite so much protection, so much precaution, so much security."
Ram Singh's father, Mangelal Singh, said his son had been raped in prison by other inmates.
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