Undertrial prisoner attempts suicide in HP jail

An undertrial prisoner allegedly attempted suicide by stabbing himself in a Himachal Pradesh jail, police said today.

Shamsher Ali (24), hailing from Uttar Pradesh and lodged in sub jail of Kaithu in Shimla, attempted suicide at 6.20 pm yesterday, Jail Superintendent Lalit Mohan Sharma told PTI.

"When he stabbed himself, I was at my residence. The jail staff immediately informed me and I sent him to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) here in no time," Sharma said.

Ali's condition is reported to be stable, Boileauganj police station Station House Officer Inspector Dinesh Kumar said.

He said that an FIR under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the undertrial prisoner for attempting to commit suicide.

"The matter is being investigated. If any negligence on the part of the jail authorities is found during the course of investigation, they will also be booked under relevant sections for that," the SHO said.

Ali was facing trial in an attempt to murder case registered under Section 307 of the IPC at the Jubbal police station.

He reportedly used to claim that he had been wrongly implicated in the case and was lodged in the jail for about three weeks, the jail superintendent said.