New Delhi: Five inmates have died in Delhi prisons in the past eight days, officials said on Saturday, saying none of the deaths were linked to violence.
Officials said the deaths were reported in different prisons.
In all of these cases, the circumstances point towards some natural cause like an old illness or some other unknown reason. Investigation procedures are carried out by the metropolitan magistrate in each case according to the rules, a senior prison official said.
Police said an inmate on trial died in Tihar Prison No. 3 on Friday.
Vikram alias Vicky, incarcerated in the central prison number 3 of Tihar, is said to have died of health problems. An action has been taken under article 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s prison department has halted the salaries of more than 40 officers after a mismatch was detected in their biometric verification, officials said on Saturday.
Led General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel confirmed the development.
The Delhi Subordinate Service Selection Board (DSSSB) had carried out a biometric verification campaign in the prison department during the last week of November, they said.
Those who joined the Delhi Prisons Department from 2019 in the ranks of Superintendents and Deputy Superintendents – recruited through reviews conducted by the DSSSB – were selected by matching their biometrics to the data kept at the time of recruitment, one official said.
As a result of the exercise, 47 cases of preliminary mismatch were detected.
Further action will be taken after receipt of the final report from the DSSSB, on
one official said.
However, as an immediate and temporary measure, the salaries of all these officials were suspended and justification notices were issued to them, the official added.