Death in Patiala jail to be probed

The sudden death of a man under trial lodged in the Patiala jail has enough element of doubt to deserve a government inquiry, which jail minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur on Friday asked the principal secretary of the home department to complete within a week.

The sudden death of a man under trial lodged in the Patiala jail has enough element of doubt to deserve a government inquiry, which jail minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur on Friday asked the principal secretary of the home department to complete within a week.

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On Thursday morning, Inderpal Singh, 27, was found dead in the Patiala Central Jail, and his parents had, later, cast doubt over the circumstances of death. Following orders by the minister, the deputy commissioner of Patiala also has ordered a magisterial inquiry, which subdivisional magistrage (SDM) Gurpal Singh Chehal will lead.

Terming the frequent deaths and violence inside jails as unfortunate, the minister said the Punjab government had taken serious note of the matter.