The death of a convict, A. Karupasamy (54), in the Coimbatore Central Prison, triggered tension as hundreds of inmates went on a protest alleging that he was beaten to death by the prison authorities, who claimed that Karuppasamy died of cardiac arrest.
On June 22, Akbar Basha (55), of Elanthakuttai in Tiruchengode, Namakkal, died in the prison.
Karupasamy’s wife K. Palaniammal (46) told The Hindu that she met her husband in the prison last Thursday and he called her using the landline phone in the prison on Saturday.
“He said he was healthy and asked me not to worry about him. But, for a few months he has been saying that fellow inmates were being beaten up by the prison authorities,” she said.
Prison Superintendent D. Pazhani said when guards unlocked Karuppasamy’s cell between 6 a.m. and 6.15 a.m, he was motionless and so was rushed to CMCH where he was declared as brought dead. “Karupasamy conducted himself well and the question of beating him to death does not arise”, Mr. Pazhani said. City police are inquiring into the incident.
Mobile phones seized in raid
On Wednesday evening, the Coimbatore Central prison authorities conducted a raid for seven hours leading to seizure of eight mobile phones, three SIM cards and two chargers.
Prison superintendent D. Pazhani said that the death of the convict was blown out of proportion by inmates who were in adverse notice and from whom the prison authorities seized mobile phones during the intensive raid. Mr. Pazhani said that mobile phones were seized from seven convicts.
Irked by the search, a section of the infuriated inmates exploited the situation by triggering rumours turning Karuppasamy’s death as an incident of death in custody due to torture.
