50-year-old rape accused dies in jail in Jammu; probe ordered

A 50-year-old man, who was arrested last week on the charges of rape, died here today, prompting the government to order a magisterial probe after his relatives protested his death, officials said.
Subash Chander Mahasha alias 'Kaka', a resident of Shivalik Puram Janipur, was arrested on February 2 allegedly on charges of trespassing and rape, a police official said.
According to the official, the accused complained of uneasiness around3 amin the lockup at Janipur police station and was subsequently taken to Government Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
A medical board of doctors has been constituted for conduct of his postmortem and his body was handed over to his family for last rites, the official said.

Earlier, the relatives of the deceased took to streets in Janipur and blocked the road by burning tyres as they demanded an inquiry into his death.
District Magistrate (Jammu) Kumar Rajeev Ranjan has ordered a magisterial probe into the death of the accused and asked the inquiry officer to submit his reportwithin four weeks.
"It is a matter of concern that the death has occurred during the police custody and it becomes mandatory for this office to ascertain the cause of death of the accused person," Ranjan said in his order.