Second undertrial dies mysteriously in Udhampur jail in four days
Jammu: In a shocking repeat of incidents, a second undertrial prisoner has died under mysterious circumstances at the Udhampur District Jail in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, raising serious concerns about the safety and conditions of detainees and the apathy of the jail authorities.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the deceased has been identified as Sukhvinder Singh (37), son of Balwinder Singh, a resident of Resham Ghar Colony in Jammu. He was facing charges under the narcotic smuggling act.
Singh was found unconscious inside his jail barrack this morning. The jail staff subsequently moved him to the District Hospital in Udhampur. However, citing his critical condition, the doctors there referred him to the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu. He tragically succumbed on the way.
A police spokesman, in a routine statement, said that a board of doctors conducted a post-mortem of the body, adding that the exact cause of death would be known only after the report is finalized.
This incident marks the second mysterious death of an undertrial at the same facility within a span of just four days, exposing the utter negligence within the prison system.
Pertinently, on October 14, another undertrial, Sewa Singh (59), son of Gourav Singh, a resident of Chalwas in Doda district, was found dead inside his barrack. The deceased, who was reportedly booked under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA), was also discovered under suspicious circumstances.
The back-to-back fatalities have sparked outrage and concern among local communities and human rights groups, who are demanding a transparent and impartial investigation into the custodial deaths to ascertain the truth behind these recurring tragedies.
