annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

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