BHUBANESWAR: An undertrial prisoner allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in Jharpada Special Jail here on Friday night. He has been identified as Jitendra Kumar Biswal of Kendrapara district and was lodged in Jharpada Jail from July 2013.
Sources said, the 35-year-old was found hanging from an iron rod inside the bathroom of Ward no.11 using his towel. The matter came to light when some of the 46 other inmates of the Ward found Biswal missing in the middle of the night and searched for him. They spotted him hanging and informed the jail authorities, who rushed him to Capital Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.
“We recovered Biswal’s body in the wee hours of Saturday. An inquiry will be conducted and investigation is on,” a jail official told this newspaper. Meanwhile, Laxmisagar police also registered an unnatural death case.
According to jail officials, Biswal used to abuse his father, mother and wife whenever he used to talk to them over the jail phone. A court had sentenced him to seven years imprisonment to Biswal in 2017 under different Sections of IPC.
Another case was also registered against Biswal under Section 376 (D) of IPC. The trial of the case was going on and sources said the UTP had misbehaved with his lawyer in a court some days back.
Meanwhile, Jitendra’s father Premananda Biswal has alleged harassment of his son by the jail authorities.