NEW DELHI: A 62-year-old inmate lodged in Mandoli Jail died of coronavirus, making him the first Covid-19 casualty in Delhi’s prison. His death prompted authorities to test 28 other inmates who were sharing the barrack with the sexagenarian. Kanwar Singh passed away on June 15 and his Covid-19 test report came out positive on Saturday, they said.
According to officials, Singh was serving life sentence in a 2016 murder case and was apparently asymptomatic. On June 15, some members of his barrack tried to wake him up but he did not respond. Soon the jail staff took him to a doctor who then declared him dead.
Director General (Delhi Prisons) Sandeep Goel said inquest proceedings were conducted by the metropolitan magistrate and a Covid-19 test was also done. His test report came out positive on Saturday, Goel said. However, the source of infection was not known yet, according to the officials.
Till now, 23 inmates of Delhi Prison have been found positive for Covid, while 45 prison staffers have tested positive as well.
Following Singh’s death, a high-powered committee headed by a Delhi High Court judge issued several directions, like creating isolation wards and carrying out rapid tests, to prevent further spread of the virus among prisoners.
With agency inputs