Delhi: Why it was difficult for Ram Singh to commit suicide

New

, March 11: India woke up with a shocking news of

allegedly committed by

, the man who along with five other men had raped a 23-year-old para-medical students and later threw her out of a moving bus.

35-year-old Ram Singh, main accused of Delhi gang-rape case, allegedly committed suicide inside Tihar jail premise on Monday, March 11. Jail officials claimed that Ram Singh was found hanging inside his cell at 5:45 am.

However, his family members and lawyer ruled out reports of Ram Singh's suicide claiming that he was killed inside the prison. VK Anand, Ram Singh's lawyer, said, "The accused were upset over public sentiments initially but no point were they suicidal."

According to Mr Anand, Ram Singh was happy over the progress of the court trials and he used to meet his family members on daily basis.

The lawyer also demanded an investigation by CBI to verify the real facts what had happened inside the Tihar jail. Ram Singh's family members claimed that Ram Singh had complained of being tortured in prison. Supporting Mr Ananda's demand, they too sought for a CBI enquiry to determine how he died.

Reasons why it was difficult for Ram Singh to commit suicide:

Ram Singh in 2009 had met with an accident in which he had received severe injuries. Doctors had used iron metal plates in one of his hands during a surgery and another hand remained weak. His lawyer argued that it was impossible for Ram Singh to reach to ceiling of the prison cell which was at least eight feet high.

Ram Singh was not alone in the cell. Two other prisoners accompanied him. Surprisingly, the duo claimed that they were asleep when Ram Singh killed self using using his shirt and parts of a sleeping mat. Tihar personnel in their official statement claimed that Ram Singh used a wooden stool to hang himself with his own clothes from a ceiling grille. However, the two fellow companions of Ram Singh's denied such reports.

Questions have been raised over Tihar jail's security. Ram Singh, who was under suicide watch, indeed shocked all with alleged suicide. Generally, suicide watch is to prevent hanging, which is far and away the most common suicide method in prisons and hospitals.

An observation room might have little more than a mattress on the floor. Any stray bits of fabric could be used as a noose: Some prisons in the United State make sure the inmate sleeps with an extra-thick blanket that can't be tied or torn into strips.

In extreme cases, a prisoner may be undressed and given a paper gown. Even if a suicidal prisoner does manage to tie something around his neck, he won't be able to hang himself unless he has somewhere to tie the other end.

Rooms are designed without any protrusions from the ceiling, walls, or furniture. Even window so designed that an inmate is unable to strangle himself.

Many suicide-watch rooms have 24-hour video surveillance, but prison staff must also perform routine, in-person checks. The schedule of the checking staff is kept in such a way that the prisoner doesn't know when they're coming.

Despite such arrangements, Ram Singh's death inside jail premise left several questions which are yet to be attended.

OneIndia News