Rights body wants criminal case against cops

The PSHRC directed the DGP (Prisons): “It is apparent that the death of the undertrial took place as a result of poisoning due to chlorocompound group of insecticides. Therefore,keeping in view the totality of the circumstances leading to the death of Karan Singh,the commission recommends to the state government to award compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the heirs of the deceased within two months and also to recover the same from the delinquent officials in accordance with law. The DGP (Prisons),Punjab would arrange to get this amount disbursed to the heirs of the deceased through district magistrate,Jalandhar.”

The order added: “The commission further recommends that a criminal case should be registered for the death of this undertrial prisoner by poison. The Punjab DGP would issue necessary directions to SSP,Jalandhar so that the First Information Report is registered and then trace out the real culprits by constituting a Special Investigation Team. The action taken report should be submitted before the commission by August 24,this year.”

In a similar case,in which a 23-year-old had died in the high security Nabha Jail,the PSHRC has ordered that Rs 2 lakh compensation be given to the family of the deceased.

Mandeep Singh,son of Gurdish Singh,died on October 5,2010 at Nabha Jail where he was serving a sentence of life imprisonment. The Commission has ordered that the government should pay the compensation amount to the legal heirs of the deceased within two months and recover the same from the erring officials following an inquiry.

According to medical reports,Mandeep’s death was caused by organophosphorus compound pesticide. Since,at the time of his death the deceased was confined in the maximum security jail in Nabha — with effect from November 10,2006 — his death could be blamed on the negligence or connivance of jail authorities,the order added.