Taking a serious note of two recent suicide cases reported from jails of Chamoli and Haridwar, the jail authorities have decided to involve psychiatrists to help the inmates get over such self-destructive tendencies. IG (jail) PVK Prasad said that the inmate Ramesh aged around 26, who committed suicide in Haridwar jail on Thursday, had remained depressed for the past few days because his father had written a letter to him recently, saying that he is disowning him for the heinous crime he was convicted with. Ramesh was sentenced to life- imprisonment in connection with a murder case along with 10 years’ imprisonment in connection with a rape case by the court. He had committed both the crimes in Almora district.
Sources said Ramesh was assigned duty of cleaning the hospital located in the jail premises. As usual, he came at the work place to clean the hospital at 8 am on Thursday. Few hours later, when some inmates went to the washroom they found door bolted from inside. After half an hour, they again knocked, but no response came. Then they peeped inside and found Ramesh hanging, tied with a towel.
Notably, the jail administration has provided a towel to each of the inmates in view of the winter. Haridwar Jail Superintendent BP Pandey and jailor SK Sukheeja were informed about the incident. After they reached, they ordered the door to be broken open. Ramesh was brought down. Doctors were sent for. He was declared dead by them.
Sources said he had been transferred from Almora jail to Haridwar jail on November 24, 2013. In Chamoli jail, another inmate, accused of murdering his girl friend after raping her, committed suicide hanging himself with a towel. His girl friend worked as an engineer in Public Works Department in Uttarakhand. He was arrested last week.Taking note of two recent suicide cases by inmates in jails of Chamoli and Haridwar, IG jail Prasad has directed the jail officers to provide psychological assistance by doctors to the inmates.