Dara launches hunger strike in jail

Dara Singh, serving life sentence for the killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, has launched a hunger strike demanding cable TV facility in his prison cell.

Dara Singh, serving life sentence for the killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, has launched a hunger strike demanding cable TV facility in his prison cell in Keonjhar, jail officials said on Sunday.

HT Image

Dara launched his fast on Saturday but was drinking water and steps were being taken to shift him to a separate cell in order to segregate him from other inmates, jail superintendent D K Patra said.

Dara in his letter to the jail authorities has stated that he was forced to go on hunger strike as his request for cable TV or DTH facility went unheeded, he said.

"The letter has been forwarded to the Inspector General of Police (Prisons)," he added.

Dara had made similar representation when he was in Baripada jail and had repeated his request a couple of times since 2007, prison sources said.

Besides being convicted for killing Staines' at Manoharpur in Keonjhar district in January, 1999, Dara alias Rabindra Pal Singh has also been convicted in connection with some other incidents.