annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights
annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights
annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights
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INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Punjab<br />
booked under Sections 304 and 120-B of<br />
the Indian Penal Code after an inquiry by<br />
Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Ajnala found<br />
them responsible <strong>for</strong> the unnatural death of<br />
an undertrial, Lambardar Darshan Singh,<br />
resident of Khanowal village on 11 March<br />
2004. The deceased was <strong>report</strong>edly lodged<br />
in the jail in a fraud case on 7 March<br />
2004. 47<br />
On the night of 27 June 2004, Sucha<br />
Singh, a resident of Mahilpur in<br />
Hoshiarpur district, allegedly died under<br />
mysterious circumstances in the premises<br />
of Jalandhar Central Jail. The jail<br />
authorities claimed that Sucha Singh died<br />
on the way to the hospital following<br />
complaint of pain in his heart. The mother<br />
of the deceased, Ms Satto, however,<br />
refuted the claim saying her son was<br />
physically fit when she met him on 23<br />
June 2004. A magisterial probe was<br />
ordered into the incident. 48<br />
On the morning of 30 July 2004, Kala<br />
Singh, a convict in a rape case, allegedly<br />
died under mysterious circumstances at<br />
Bathinda central jail. The jail<br />
superintendent claimed that Kala Singh<br />
was suffering from tuberculosis and<br />
remained hospitalized from 5 July 2004 to<br />
14 July 2004 <strong>for</strong> treatment. Suddenly his<br />
condition deteriorated on the morning of<br />
July 30 and died while being shifted to the<br />
Bathinda civil hospital. The doctors of the<br />
emergency ward declared him brought<br />
dead. 49<br />
Harbhajan Singh, a resident of Burj<br />
Dunna village in Moga district, who was<br />
lodged in the Moga jail three days earlier<br />
in connection with a theft case, <strong>report</strong>edly<br />
died of illness on 12 August 2004. The jail<br />
and civil hospital staff were allegedly at<br />
loggerheads over the place where the<br />
inmate died. While the hospital staff<br />
claimed that he was brought dead to the<br />
hospital, the jail staff maintained that he<br />
was alive when they admitted him to the<br />
hospital and he died about 30 to 45<br />
minutes later. There was also a<br />
controversy over the inmate’s post mortem<br />
as his body was <strong>report</strong>edly referred to<br />
Faridkot, another district despite the fact<br />
that all facilities were available in Moga<br />
<strong>for</strong> the same, 50 raising suspicion of foul<br />
play.<br />
On the night of 30 June 2004, the<br />
Deputy Jail Superintendent of Amritsar<br />
Central Security Jail along with some<br />
other employees allegedly tattooed “Yeh<br />
Chor Hai” on the back of Rocky, an<br />
undertrial, by using a hot iron rod. Rocky<br />
had demanded facilities like clean<br />
drinking water and food be provided to<br />
him as per the jail manual. While some of<br />
the jail officials <strong>for</strong>cibly held and made<br />
him lie on the ground, another sat on his<br />
back and caught Rocky by his hair and<br />
mouth. Unable to bear the excruciating<br />
pain, he fainted. A team of doctors from<br />
Amritsar Civil Hospital who conducted<br />
the medical examination on Rocky<br />
pursuant to a direction of the Chief<br />
Judicial Magistrate confirmed that “Yeh<br />
chor hai” marked on the back of Rocky<br />
was branded with hot iron rod. 51<br />
Malkiat Singh, a Dalit undertrial<br />
accused in a case of attempt to murder,<br />
205