19-yr-old Bihar prisoner arrested for child’s rape in July dies by suicide

PURNEA: A 19-year-old man arrested in July for the rape of a relative’s young daughter died by suicide in eastern Bihar’s Purnea central jail, district officials said on Thursday

PURNEA: A 19-year-old man arrested in July for the rape of a relative’s young daughter died by suicide in eastern Bihar’s Purnea central jail, district officials said on Thursday.

Central jail superintendent Rajeev Jha said there were lapses on part of the security guards inside the jail and a show cause notice has been issued (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Officials said the man, an undertrial prisoner, was missing during the evening headcount in the jail on Wednesday. During a search, he was found hanging from a tree on the campus.

Jail officials said the prisoner, a resident of Champanagar in the adjoining district of Bhagalpur, was arrested under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act on charges that he raped a minor girl, a relative.

Officials said he was taken to the government medical college hospital (GMCH) Purnea where the doctors declared him dead.

Central jail superintendent Rajeev Jha said there were lapses on part of the security guards inside the jail. “A show-cause notice has been issued,” he said, adding that that the authorities were yet to receive the postmortem report.

The prisoner’s family accused jail officials of torturing the teenager.

“My son was very upset inside the jail and wanted to escape,” his father said, adding that he died by suicide when he could not escape. He alleged that jail officials tortured him that drove him to suicide.

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