Amritsar jail inmate found dead; kin allege drug overdose

AMRITSAR:AN inmate at Amritsar Central Jail, Mandeep Singh, alias Sony Bhullar, 28, of Bogra village in Sangrur, was found dead in mysterious circumstances on Sunday. Jail staff rushed him to the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

The family of the victim alleges that he died of drug overdose on jail premises. “A year ago, Sony was shifted from Sangrur jail to Amritsar jail. He developed the addiction to drugs here. He had told his parents that drugs were being supplied to him in jail. On Sunday morning, he injected drugs and died of overdose,” said Sony’s cousin brother Rajwinder Singh. Sony’s father Gurmeet Singh said, “Jail authorities were responsible for my son’s death.”

Jail authorities, however, refuted the charges, saying that they have not recovered any syringe or drug on the premises. “On Sunday morning, he was found unconscious, and was taken to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” said Baljit Singh, jail’s additional superintendent.

He added, “Sony faced several cases, including of murder, theft, and under the Prisons Act. The autopsy report will clarify the reason for the death.”