BADIN: An under trial prisoner (UTP) died in mysterious circumstances in district jail on Sunday as his relatives accused prison police of torturing him to death while police officials claimed he had died of heart attack.

The UTP Akbar Mallah’s father Urs Mallah, his mother Laly, and other relatives told journalists that Akbar was quite healthy when police produced him in court just a day before in a case of possession of narcotics.

They said that Akbar confided in them at the court that jail police were demanding bribe for ‘good treatment’ and asked them to give him some money for the purpose, else he feared they would subject him to torture.

They held the jail authorities squarely responsible for alleged murder of their loved one and said there was great likelihood that Akbar had been subjected to inhuman torture and murdered by the corrupt jail officials.

A jail official Asghar Mashwari told journalists that the UTP had died of heart attack while high officials did not respond to media persons’ queries about the UTP’s death and jail doctor was not available for comments.

Police said the real cause of UTP’s death would come to fore after report came of his post mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the UTP’s family and relatives staged a sit-in outside the jail on Tando Bago road for a few hours and demanded registration of case against the jail authorities.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2020