Investigating death of undertrial prisoner at Mandoli jail, say cops

Delhi police are investigating the death of 35-year-old undertrial prisoner Mohammad Azad, amid allegations of assault and unclear circumstances.

Police on Sunday said they were investigating the death of 35-year-old undertrial prisoner (UTP) lodged at Delhi’s Mandoli jail. So far, jail and police officials said, it was not clear how he died and that would only be clear after the postmortem report.

Investigating death of undertrial prisoner at Mandoli jail, say cops

Deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Ashish Mishra said that on Sunday morning, the Harsh Vihar police station received information from Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital regarding the admission of an undertrial prisoner, identified as Mohammad Azad (35) from Mandoli Jail, in an unconscious state.

“Azad was declared brought dead by the attending doctors. His body was shifted to the hospital’s mortuary for post-mortem examination,” said DCP Mishra.

A magisterial enquiry had been initiated under section 196 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in connection with the prisoner’s death, the police said.

A resident of Seemapuri in northeast Delhi, Mohammad Azad (alias Rakhal) was arrested in 2022 under two cases of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act registered at Delhi’s Seemapuri and Uttar Pradesh’s Sahibabad police station in 2022 and 2020 for allegedly possessing narcotic substances in commercial quantity, the police said.

Azad’s family members have alleged that he and 20-25 other prisoners were assaulted by a jail official on February 24 as they were refusing to pay ₹10,000 per month to the official. His brother, Sagir Mohammad, said, “All such information came to us through phone calls made by prisoners known to my brother.”

He also alleged Azad was in poor health when was brought to Karkardooma Court on Saturday for a hearing.

Senior Tihar jail officials denied to comment on the matter given the ongoing investigation.

A Delhi Prisons official on condition of anonymity said that neither Azad nor his family members made any such allegations when he was produced before the court on Saturday. “The magisterial enquiry has already been initiated to look into the reason behind Azad’s death,” added the official.

A senior police officer said that an initial enquiry has revealed that Azad was allegedly involved in a quarrel at jail some days ago. “There is a possibility that Azad was injured in that quarrel. We are waiting for the autopsy report and the magistrate’s enquiry report to ascertain the exact cause of his death. Further legal action would be taken accordingly,” the officer said, on the condition of anonymity.