Lucknow: A 45-year-old undertrial lodged in Sultanpur district jail died under mysterious circumstances late Monday night after his body was found hanging inside a barrack toilet, raising questions over prison security and surveillance mechanisms.The undertrial, Nakched of Charathai village in Dhanpatganj, was lodged in barrack number 12 since March 25 for the alleged murder of his wife. Jail authorities said the body was found hanging from a plastic rope, which was tied on a window of the toilet area of the barrack.Jail superintendent, Sultanpur, Arvind Prangil, said, “Prima facie, he died by suicide. However, the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem. A detailed inquiry has been initiated, especially considering that the incident occurred in a high-security zone of the prison.”Police said that Nakched murdered his wife, Kusum, on March 24. An FIR was lodged at Dhanpatganj police station, following which he was arrested and remanded to judicial custody by a local court.Sources in the prisons department told TOI that the jail superintendent has written to the head officer for action against two jail personnel for laxity.A jail official said that Nakched’s son visited his father on Monday and told him that no family member would come to see him again. “Nakched probably ended his life out of guilt,” he added.The incident brought the spotlight on how prohibited items like a plastic rope reached the inmate, and whether CCTV surveillance and security protocols were effectively implemented in the barrack and toilet areas.A similar incident was reported in Sept last year when another undertrial allegedly died by suicide on the same premises.
