Malkangiri: An undertrial prisoner (UTP) lodged in the Malkangiri district jail died Monday night, prompting his family members to stage a protest over his death.
The deceased, Kabiraj Rout, had been lodged in the jail for nearly four years in connection with a ganja seizure case. Rout’s health deteriorated Monday night, following which jail authorities took him to the Malkangiri District Headquarters Hospital. Doctors there declared him dead.
The family alleged negligence in treatment and expressed doubts over the actual cause of death. After learning that the body would be taken to the SLNMCH in Koraput for post-mortem, family members placed it in front of the hospital’s main gate and staged a protest. Police reached the spot and persuaded the family members to withdraw the protest, bringing the situation under control.
The body was later sent for an autopsy along with family members. The post-mortem is expected to be conducted in the presence of four doctors and police personnel, officials said.