Convict’s death: Jail authorities blame cops

GURUGRAM: The authorities of Bhondsi jail, where a 30-year-old murder convict died because of drug overdose, have said their responsibility is limited to the prison premises and it is the police who ferry prisoners to court or hospital.
The role of police was questioned after the life-term convict was found trying to smuggle drugs inside the jail by swallowing plastic capsules filled with drugs. The capsules had burst inside his stomach, causing his death. Nearly 15 packets were recovered from the prisoner’s stomach and intestines during autopsy, which was conducted by four-member medical board.

Police suspect the convict might have got hold of the drugs when he was taken to a hospital in Rohtak for treatment. “Our role is restricted to the prison premises. Inmates are taken outside jail for treatment or court hearing by the police,” jail superintendent Jai Kishan Chillar said. He pointed out that the authorities had recently registered a case against policemen for allegedly helping a prisoner to sneak in a mobile phone in jail while he was being brought from a hospital. “Prison guards and police are not the same,” he said.

On Tuesday, the authorities of Bhondsi jail had filed an FIR against a police constable for allegedly helping a prisoner to bring a mobile phone and sulfa by hiding them in his shoes. The cellphone was found stuck to his right foot with a tape.