Fear gripped Baleswar jail inmates as a 72-year-old rape convict, who was undergoing a 10-year jail term died of Covid-19 in the Covid Hospital here on Wednesday.
A native of Baliapal, the rape convict had been shifted from jail to the DHH after he developed cold symptoms. Later, he tested positive for Covid and got admitted in the Covid Hospital on August 28. He succumbed on Wednesday.
Jail Superintendent Sujit Rout said there is no reason to fear as all newcomers are being lodged in jail after their testing reports come negative.
Jail premises are also being sanitised regularly and rapid antigen tests are being conducted in suspected cases, he claimed, adding that the health of the inmates are being monitored regularly.
The jail has 550 inmates against its capacity 470. Courts are not able to function regularly; many are waiting for disposal. The overcrowding is one of the causes for which inmates apprehend spread of virus among them, said an intellectual.
In a related development, the Soro police station was sealed after 12 cops tested positive for the virus on Thursday.
All the personnel at the police station were asked to go for home quarantine.
The district administration has already started contact tracing of the infected persons.
Meanwhile, the district’s Covid tally in Baleswar increased to 4,048 with 114 new cases. With 13 deaths and 3,004 recoveries, the district has now 1,026 active cases.