Ailing 84-year-old inmate chained to hosp bed, jail warder punished

AGRA: The visuals of an 84-year-old jail inmate, too frail to move, breathing heavily and chained to a hospital bed in Etah, turned up on social media platforms and invited widespread criticism.
Baburam Balwan Singh was found tied to a hospital bed in the non-Covid-19 ward of Etah government hospital on Thursday. Taking cognizance of the matter, director general (prisons) Anand Kumar suspended the jail warder and ordered an inquiry. Singh, who was brought to Etah jail on February 6 this year after being convicted in a murder case, is a resident of district’s Kulla Habibpur village.
“He was taken to a government hospital on Sunday due to breathing problems and was referred to Aligarh. But there was no bed available there, so he was brought back to Etah, where he was admitted at the district hospital’s non Covid-19 ward. It is unclear under what circumstances he was tied to the bed. The entire matter is being investigated,” jailor Kuldeep Singh Bhadauria said. Warder Ashok Yadav has been suspended, the jailer added. “Those responsible for shackling the inmate will not be spared,” DG Kumar said.