New Delhi, December 14th, 2011

Sukhchain Singh, lost his life while he was serving sentence as a convict in Central Jail, Amritsar, Punjab. Holding the prison authorities responsible for his death, the NHRC has recommended for payment of rupees five lakhs as monetary relief to the next of kin of deceased prisoner. Sukhchain was convicted under Section 302/34/2001 IPC and was lodged in the jail since the 22nd September, 2004.

The NHRC intervened in the matter on intimation from jail authorities and called for the requisite reports from the Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab.

In response, the Director General of Police (Prison), Punjab informed the Commission that on the 2nd July, 2009, Sukhchain was beaten up by the jail warden and subsequently he died while undergoing treatment. The jail warden has been booked under Section 304 IPC and he is in the judicial custody. No one else has been found guilty in this case. The earlier intimation by the prison authorities that Sukhchain died while undergoing treatment and management of his asthmatic problem did not hold ground.

There have been a number of such cases in jails of different part of the country wherein the prison authorities have been under doubt over the death of an inmate. The number of deaths in judicial custody (prisons) has been a point of concern for the NHRC right since its inception in 1993. During the last four months alone, the Commission has given recommendations in about 45 cases (August 18, September 08, October 09 and November 10) for monetary relief to the next of kin of deceased and punitive action against the delinquent officers.

*****