Inmate dies in jail, father alleges foul play

The mysterious death of a prisoner detained in a murder case in Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi, has raised serious allegations from the deceased’s family.

The father of the deceased prisoner, Shahvez Bhatti, claims his son was allegedly killed by the police and his son’s opponents in the jail. He has registered a case at Saddar Bairooni police station.

However, Jail Superintendent Asad Javed Waraich stated that the prisoner, Shahvez, went to the court for a hearing and on his way back to the jail he ingested, ‘ice’ (a drug) due to which his condition deteriorated. He was transferred to the district headquarters hospital immediately but did not survive.

The accusations against the jail administration are baseless, he added.

According to Shahid Bhatti, the father of Shahvez, was arrested in connection with a murder case by the Sadiqabad police on June 10. He was granted post-arrest bail on July 8.

Shahid claims that his son had a confrontation with another prisoner, Saim, a few days ago, due to which the jail administration registered a case against his son and others.

On July 8, Shahid received a phone call informing him that his son was unwell. When he arrived at the district headquarters hospital, Rawalpindi, his son had already passed away.

“I strongly believe my son was killed by the prison’s administration in collaboration with his opponents, citing an incident where I was initially denied visit on July 4 and later allowed only after making a commotion.”

During their meeting, Shahvez told his father that he was locked in ‘Qusoori Chakki’ (a manual grinding mill) and feared for his life. Shahid was suspicious of foul play and demanded a case be registered against the alleged perpetrators.

A judicial inquiry has been started following the autopsy of Shahvez.

When contacted, Superintendent Central Jail Adiala Rawalpindi Asad Javed Waraich said that the allegations against the jail staff were unfounded. He added that Shavez Bhatti ingested the drug on his way back to jail from court, and died.