Raising questions: Teenager ‘commits suicide’ in Attock jail
Sources say two fellow inmates slept through the incident
ATTOCK:
In another incident at the Attock district jail reflecting the administration’s failure to secure prison cells, a teenager under trial for murder was found hanging in his cell on Tuesday.
The police alleged that the man had committed suicide and a post-mortem report, conducted under the supervision of a judicial magistrate, asserted the same.
Prison officials, requesting not to be named, informed The Express Tribune that the prisoner, Muhammad Naeem, had been in jail since 2011 after being accused of involvement in a murder case in Fateh Jang.
They further stated that Naeem had lunch before returning to his cell, where he used a bed sheet to hang himself. Two other inmates- Nasir and Khalil-were present in the cell when he committed suicide, but were asleep for the duration of the incident.
The jail administration later informed the district judge, city police and relatives of the deceased prisoner and shifted the body to District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem. The judicial magistrate completed the legal formalities and examined the ground evidence.
Later, the body was handed over to the relatives.
Official sources stated that the prisoner was under mental stress due to the charges against him. They also expressed surprise as to why his cellmates did not stop Naeem. They added that mental stress is a common problem after prolonged detention.
Attock District Jail Superintendent Muhammad Asghar confirmed the incident and said the judicial magistrate and the post-mortem reports both found that the prisoner had committed suicide.
In response to a question, he refuted claims that the death was a result of negligence on the part of the jail administration. He further said that the other two inmates fell asleep after having lunch and had already recorded their statements with the judicial magistrate.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2014.
In another incident at the Attock district jail reflecting the administration’s failure to secure prison cells, a teenager under trial for murder was found hanging in his cell on Tuesday.
The police alleged that the man had committed suicide and a post-mortem report, conducted under the supervision of a judicial magistrate, asserted the same.
Prison officials, requesting not to be named, informed The Express Tribune that the prisoner, Muhammad Naeem, had been in jail since 2011 after being accused of involvement in a murder case in Fateh Jang.
They further stated that Naeem had lunch before returning to his cell, where he used a bed sheet to hang himself. Two other inmates- Nasir and Khalil-were present in the cell when he committed suicide, but were asleep for the duration of the incident.
The jail administration later informed the district judge, city police and relatives of the deceased prisoner and shifted the body to District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem. The judicial magistrate completed the legal formalities and examined the ground evidence.
Later, the body was handed over to the relatives.
Official sources stated that the prisoner was under mental stress due to the charges against him. They also expressed surprise as to why his cellmates did not stop Naeem. They added that mental stress is a common problem after prolonged detention.
Attock District Jail Superintendent Muhammad Asghar confirmed the incident and said the judicial magistrate and the post-mortem reports both found that the prisoner had committed suicide.
In response to a question, he refuted claims that the death was a result of negligence on the part of the jail administration. He further said that the other two inmates fell asleep after having lunch and had already recorded their statements with the judicial magistrate.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2014.