Delhi gang-rape accused found dead inside cell in Tihar

Jail officials said Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide; his family and lawyer, however, claimed it was a murder

In a mysterious twist in the  December 16 Delhi gang-rape case, prime accused Ram Singh allegedly committed suicide in Tihar Jail early this morning. His family and lawyer, however, claimed it was a murder.

In a development that raised questions over monitoring of undertrials, jail officials said Ram Singh (35), who had a slight deformity in his right hand, hanged himself from a rod in the ceiling of his cell in Jail No 3, using his clothes. Officials, including Tihar Director-General Vimla Mehra, declined to give details.

An official statement of the jail authorities said Singh was “found hanging at 5:45 am.” “The matter is being inquired into by a judicial officer as per Section 176 of CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code). The exact cause of death could be known after receipt of the inquiry officer’s report, which also includes post-mortem examination and a report by forensic experts,” the statement said.

Sources said the suicide might have taken place between 3:30 am and 5:30 am. During the change of guard at 3:30 am, everything was alright. But at the next change of guard two hours later, Singh was found dead, they said.

Security for the other four accused has been stepped up in the wake of today’s development.

The news of Singh’s death triggered demands from his lawyer and family for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. They alleged Singh was murdered inside the jail and refused to accept he had committed suicide.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who met Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit earlier in the day, told a news conference that the preliminary inquiry suggested Singh committed suicide. He termed the incident “grave” and a “major lapse” on the part of the prison department. “Everything will come out in the inquiry by a magistrate,” Shinde said, when asked about allegations that Singh was murdered. Since it was a death under suspicious circumstances, the Delhi government ordered an inquiry by a metropolitan magistrate.

Singh was under depression for the past couple of days, jail sources said — a claim contested by his lawyer.

Prone to violent behaviour and mood swings, Singh had suicidal tendencies and was under suicide watch, which was later lifted as he started socialising a bit, a senior jail official said. Singh, who was to be produced before court for the daily hearing, was rushed to the jail hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The body was taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences for an autopsy.

A 23-year-old girl was raped in a running bus by Singh and his five associates in south Delhi. She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.