The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has ordered a CID probe into the custodial death of an undertrial at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in January this year.
The commission has also directed the State government to pay the bereaved family an interim compensation of ₹10 lakh, which it said has to be recovered from errant prison officials responsible for the death.
Syed Fairoz, 21, was arrested by D.J. Halli police in the first week of January and booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. He was sent to judicial custody and lodged at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison on January 9 and was shifted to Victoria Hospital on January 23, where he died. The family alleged that he died of the injuries of torture by prison officials and also negligence in getting him treated. Postmortem report revealed he had sustained several injuries and concluded: “Death is due to septicaemia consequent upon injuries sustained”.
Three separate petitions were filed before KSHRC — by two human rights organisations and a family member of the deceased. KSHRC, in its order dated June 25, came down heavily on lack of action by the police in registering a case even after a magisterial enquiry report in March 2019.
The commission also directed ADGP (Prisons) to ensure “medical staff and facilities inside prisons are adequate to address ailments and injuries of serious nature and issue mandatory direction to immediately transfer to the nearest better hospital, such cases of emergency as cannot be treated with the medical facility available within the prison”.