Assam: Undertrial Prisoner Found Dead in Lakhimpur District Jail

LAKHIMPUR: The body of an undertrial inmate charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was found in his cell at the Lakhimpur jail on Wednesday morning.

The deceased identified as Paban Barua from Dhakuakhana's Narayanpur Chapori, had been detained by the courts since last month on suspicion of sexually abusing a juvenile. Although the precise cause of death will be ascertained after a post-mortem study, jail officials believe Barua committed suicide.

The event has sparked concerns about prison monitoring and inmate safety. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding Barua's death has been started by the local authorities.

Last month, five inmates who were charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act broke out of the Morigaon District jail in Assam during the night by using lungis and bedsheets to scale a 20-foot wall and smash through metal rods.

The district was immediately alerted to the event, which occurred on Friday night between 1 and 2 am, and the administration ordered a magisterial inquiry. The state government had appointed two assistant jailors to temporarily supervise the prison's operations and suspended Jailor Prashanta Saikia from his position.

Saifuddin, Ziarul Islam, Nur Islam, Matidul, and Abdul Rashid were the identified inmates who escaped from the jail. Additionally, shocking information regarding their audacious escape surfaced. According to the report, they used their lungis, blankets, and bedsheets to scale a 20-foot wall of the jail compound and cut open the iron rods of the barrack gate.
A huge manhunt had been initiated to capture the fugitives, according to Hemanta Kumar Das, the district superintendent of police for Morigaon.

ALSO READ:

ALSO WATCH: