CHENNAI: A 27-year-old undertrial inmate receiving treatment at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Kilpauk died at the Government Stanley Hospital on Thursday night, four days after he was allegedly assaulted by another inmate inside prisoner ward of the IMH.
The deceased, Zahir, had intellectual and speech disabilities, Secretariat Colony police said. He had been admitted to the IMH in 2024 under a court order in connection with a murder case registered in Coimbatore.
Police said Zahir was attacked by Aravindasamy (19), who was admitted to the same institute in March this year under a court order in connection with a murder case registered in Tenkasi. Both were lodged in the prison ward of the institute, where undertrials requiring psychiatric treatment are admitted.
“The two inmates got into an altercation near a bathroom on Monday. Aravindasamy allegedly pushed Zahir to the ground and assaulted him, causing severe injuries to his face and neck. Institute staff rushed Zahir to the Government Stanley Hospital,” a police officer told TNIE.
Hospital sources said Zahir sustained serious head and facial injuries and remained under intensive treatment for four days before succumbing to his injuries on Thursday night. The body was sent for postmortem.
Following his death, police altered the case to murder and launched a detailed investigation into the circumstances leading to the assault. They are also examining whether there were any lapses in supervision inside the ward at the time of the incident. “Since Aravindasamy is already an undertrial in a murder case, the present case will also be added against him,” the officer said.
Sources in the prison department said that once an undertrial with a mental illness is admitted to the IMH, security is provided either by hospital staff or city police, depending on the requirement. Officials at the IMH said they had written to the police department twice in the past seeking security for the prisoner ward.
At present, the ward is managed by hospital staff, while police personnel are stationed outside. In this case, a police officer said, only the staff of the institute were present in the ward. They went to the scene only after Zahir collapsed on the floor.
A senior doctor said the police department should deploy more personnel and take charge of security inside the prisoner ward, as is done in similar wards at other hospitals.
(With inputs from Rajalakshmi Sampath & Sinduja Jane @ Chennai)