Dharamshala, May 21
A prisoner serving a sentence at the District Jail in Dharamshala died under suspicious circumstances, following which his family demanded a fair and impartial investigation into the incident. The deceased has been identified as Vivek, who had been lodged in jail since March 2023.
Family members met Kangra SP Ashok Rattan on Thursday and raised several concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding the inmate’s death. They alleged that the family was informed about the incident nearly one and a half hours after the death, which reportedly occurred around 5:30 pm on Wednesday.
Relatives claimed they were told that Vivek died due to electric shock, but alleged that officials did not clarify whether he was first taken to Zonal Hospital, Dharamshala, for treatment or shifted directly to Tanda Medical College. The family has also sought access to CCTV footage installed inside the jail to understand what exactly happened.
Vivek’s brother, Ishu, said reports were circulating about a possible altercation before the incident. He questioned the sequence of events and said the hospital slip mentioned a time of 7:05 pm from Tanda Hospital, leaving the family uncertain about the treatment process followed after the incident.
Kangra SP Ashok Rattan said police received information about the matter around 5:30 pm, and a team immediately reached the hospital. He said a postmortem examination would be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of death. According to initial information shared by jail authorities, the inmate allegedly died due to electric shock, though all angles would be thoroughly investigated.
District Jail Superintendent Vikas Bhatnagar said a judicial inquiry had been requested into the incident. He added that the exact cause of death would become clear only after the postmortem report is received. The official also stated that the inmate had maintained good conduct during his time in jail and had earlier been assigned outside work duties for a limited period.
