A 37-year-old undertrial prisoner in Tihar Jail, who was HIV infected, was found dead in the jail’s hospital on Friday. The incident follows three alleged cases of suicide, one murder and one of accidental death last month.
An inquest proceeding has been ordered. The deceased has been identified as Rajnish, who was lodged in jail number three. He was arrested earlier in the year in a case of cheating filed with Jyoti Nagar police station in north east Delhi.
“Rajnish was undergoing treatment at the hospital and was not responding on Friday morning. He was declared dead,” said a police officer. The prisoners, including at the hospital, are allowed to roam around in the jail premises every morning. However, on Friday, Rajnish did not leave his bed, and was found dead by a nurse.
His body was handed over to family after post-mortem at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. “There were no external injury marks on the body and it appears to be a case of natural death,” the officer added.
During 2013, 97 inmates of the jail were found suffering from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which is about one per cent of the total population of the jail. Two female inmates were also found suffering from AIDS.
In 2012, a total of 91 inmates were found HIV positive. In 2011, 115 were found positive, 124 in 2010 and 109 in 2009. The data, however, does not specify whether the inmates were infected before they arrived in the jail or during their stay. The jail does not have separate cells for HIV infected inmates, but they undergo regular health check-up and are provided free medicines.
According to Tihar Jail data, 33 deaths have been reported this year, which include suicides, those due to medical lapses and natural causes.