Post News Network
Kendrapara, March 17: A 38-year-old jail inmate, Jairam Rout, son of Gayadhar Rout, a resident of Rajpur (Balichandrapur) under Rajnagar police limits, Tuesday died while he was being released from Kendrapara sub-jail, Biren Sahu, jailor-cum-jail superintendent of Kendrapara sub-jail, said.
Due to non-payment of arrear maintenance of Rs 1.11 lakh to his wife, Jairam was imprisoned for a month as the family court sentenced him in a maintenance case last month. He came to Kendrapara sub-jail as jail inmate February 18, 2015 and was released Tuesday as his one-month imprisonment ended Tuesday. While he was being released from jail, he became sick near the main gate of the jail, Sahu said. As a result, he failed to get proper treatment for an hour at the jail. As the sub jail does not have any vehicle, jail authorities went to Tinimuhani and hired an auto-rickshaw to take Jairam to the DHH. After an hour of becoming sick and remaining without medical treatment at jail, when he reached the DHH, the doctor declared him ‘received dead’.
“If we had our own departmental vehicle, Jairam would have reached half an hour earlier at the hospital. Then, possibly, Jairam’s life could have been saved,” Sahu said. The matter has been intimated to the Kendrapara Town police station. Kendrapara Town police, led by IIC Pramod Kumar Lenka, the IIC of Sadar police station, Biranchi Kumar Bag, SDPO of Kendrapara, Purna Chandra Pradhan, rushed to the DHH. Later, in the presence of the additional tehsildar of Kendrapara-cum-executive magistrate, Sibabrata Maillck, an inquest was conducted and the body was sent for autopsy.
Lenka said minor injury marks were found on Jairam’s hands and legs during inquest. Police have registered an unnatural death case at Kendrapara Town police station. Meanwhile, Baidhar Rout, Jairam’s brother, filed a complaint before SDPO Pradhan, alleging that his brother was tortured and later killed by jail authorities. Police have been directed to conduct an inquiry. Police are waiting for the post-mortem report to
establish the cause of Jairam’s death, Pradhan said.
“Jairam was not tortured. Why should jail authorities torture and kill him on the day he was already set to be released,” Sahu said. Family members refused to receive Jairam’s body after post-mortem, protesting against police action of registering a UD case instead of a case of murder. The body was lying near the hospital police outpost inside the DHH premises. If family members do not receive the body, it would be preserved at the DHH mortuary.
