CHANDIGARH: A jail inmate was shot dead after he allegedly attacked an asthmatic police constable with a sharp-edged weapon and attempted to escape custody outside a hospital in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
The inmate was facing multiple criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder.
The police team was escorting four inmates back to jail from the hospital after finishing their medical tests when one of them, Nasib Singh, allegedly tried to flee despite being handcuffed, said police sources.
Senior constable Jasdeep Singh, who suffers from asthma, was accompanying Nasib in an e-rickshaw towards the ambulance when the incident took place.
Confirming the incident Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar Malik said that this attack took place around 1.30 pm when four police personnel had brought three inmates from Central Jail, Hoshiarpur, to the Civil Hospital for a medical check-up.
"After the examination, the police team was escorting the inmates back to the jail when one of them Nasib Singh, allegedly tried to flee despite being handcuffed. During the scuffle, he also tried to snatch the constable's service weapon. In self-defence and to prevent his escape, the constable first fired a warning shot on the ground, but the accused did not stop and the scuffle continued. Both of them fell during the struggle, and the accused again tried to snatch the weapon. The constable then fired multiple rounds from his service revolver, some of which hit the inmate,’’ said Malik.
The injured inmate was rushed to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
His body has been kept in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital. The injured constable has been admitted to the hospital and is stated to be out of danger.
He said, "We will investigate where he got the weapon, whether he picked it up outside the jail premises or if someone assisted him. As per preliminary investigations, Nasib Singh was facing multiple criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder and offences under the NDPS Act, and was also a convict. Malik further said that the inmate's father, Shashi Kumar, is also lodged in jail in connection with cases of murder and offences under the NDPS Act. Further investigation into the incident is underway," the police said.
