Jail staff tortured inmate as he was HIV+, says brother

Ajmer: A day after a prisoner at Ajmer Central Jail in Rajasthan died allegedly under suspicious circumstances after a fight with two cops, his brother accused jail administration of torture and negligence Tuesday.“On phone and during meetings in court, my brother would complain that jail administration troubled him. They called him ‘kitanu’ (germ) because he was HIV positive. He was not getting proper medicines in jail. When he would ask for those, the administration would demand money,” brother of the deceased has alleged. Everyone kept a distance from him because he was HIV positive, the brother said.“His body had turned blue and bore wound marks as if beaten with sticks,” he added.The prisoner was serving his term in Ajmer Central Jail for attempt to murder. On Monday, he had a fight with two cops after he became furious when TV inside his cell stopped working. The cops got injured and were taken to JLN Hospital for treatment. When other jail staff went to the prisoner’s cell, they too had a fight. Later, the prisoner was found unconscious near his cell. He was sent to JLN Hospital where he died within a few hours. A judicial enquiry is on, police said.