An undertrial prisoner, who was arrested last week for consuming alcohol in violation of prohibition law in place in the state, today died at a hospital within minutes of being brought for treatment, police said.
Angry relatives of Surendra Sah, a resident of Suryapur village in Piprakothi police station area of East Champaran district, resorted to vandalism at the Sadar hospital alleging that the death was caused by injuries sustained at the Motihari central prison.
"Sah was arrested at his village on June 17 for consuming alcohol and was kept in jail. He appeared to be addicted to alcohol and had been ill since his arrest. This morning, when his health deteriorated significantly, he was rushed to the Sadar hospital where he died shortly after being admitted," Inspector in-charge of Town police station Anant Kumar said.
Sale and consumption of alcohol is banned in Bihar for the past two years.
The inspector said "the body has been taken for post-mortem and the cause of the death would be ascertained only after the report comes out".
The hospital's deputy superintendent Manoj Kumar said "when the prisoner's family arrived, upon being informed of his death, they got enraged when they saw injury marks which they blamed on alleged torture by police or prison authorities".
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