Pocso convict ‘electrocuted’ in jail cell, kin cry foul

KULLU: A Pocso convict died under mysterious circumstances inside Dharamsala district jail on Wednesday evening, triggering allegations of foul play and a demand for an independent investigation.

The deceased, Vivek of Khaniara in Dharamsala, was serving a seven-year sentence. "My son was rightly punished by the court. He was serving his sentence, but it was not a death sentence. All I want is justice for him," said his father, Jagdish.

Jail superintendent Vikas Bhatnagar said Vivek was electrocuted inside his cell around 5.34pm on Wednesday. "It seems he touched the bars of the cell. Jail staff heard a scream and rushed to his cell to find him lying unconscious on the floor," said Bhatnagar, adding that the inmate was taken to the zonal hospital in Dharamsala and then to Govt Medical College, Tanda, where he was declared dead.

While the jail superintendent said a magisterial inquiry would be conducted, Vivek's family members met Kangra SP Ashok Rattan to express their suspicion of foul play and demand a ‘fair inquiry'. They say they were not immediately informed about the incident.

"Jail staff say my son died at 5.34pm but I received the call from them around 7.05pm. What took them so long? Also, Vivek would call us regularly, but the calls had stopped coming almost three days prior to his death," said Jagdish Chand.

The family has demanded to see CCTV footage of the alleged electrocution. "We have been told that Vivek was involved in a fight prior to the alleged electrocution. We want to see CCTV footage to ensure that cops are not lying," said a family member.

The Kangra SP assured that a fair and transparent investigation would be conducted. "The fact that there was a delay in informing the family would be part of the investigation. Postmortem report will reveal the cause of death. The family's allegation that proper and timely treatment could have saved the inmate will also be investigated," said Rattan.