An inmate lodged in the Central Jail, Patiala, died under mysterious circumstances on Sunday after his health suddenly deteriorated inside the jail premises.
The deceased has been identified as Surjit Singh, a resident of Ludhiana, who had been lodged in the jail for some time.
According to jail authorities, he complained of health issues and was immediately taken to the jail hospital. After an initial examination, the jail doctor referred him to Government Rajindra Medical College and Hospital for further treatment.
The jail security personnel rushed him to the Rajindra hospital, but the doctors there declared him brought dead. While the jail administration maintains that Surjit Singh suffered a heart attack and died on the way to the hospital, the exact cause of death will be ascertained only after the postmortem examination.
The body has been kept in the mortuary of Rajindra Hospital. As the deceased was in judicial custody, the postmortem will be conducted by a board of doctors under the supervision of a judicial officer, as per the prescribed procedure.
This correspondent tried to contact the Jail Superintendent on his mobile phone for an official version, but he didn’t respond to the calls.
