Delhi gangrape accused commits suicide in Tihar jail

Updated: Monday, March 11, 2013, 20:16 [IST]

New Delhi, March 11: Ram Singh, the prime accused in the December 16 Delhi gangrape case, allegedly hanged himself in jail no. 3 of Tihar Jail at 5 am on Monday. His body was taken too Deen Dayal Hospital for autopsy.

Singh faced 13 charges in the gangrape case which had sent shock wave across the nation and also abroad. A 23-year-old paramedic student was brutally raped ans assaulted by Singh and five others in a moving bus on the night of December 16. The woman succumbed to her injuries on December 29, after she was shifted to a Singapore hospital.

Singh was the driver of the bus and it is said that he killed himself to protect the other perpetrators.

The Tihar authorities were criticised for lapse security arrangements for a high-profile prisoner. Demands were raised to ensure proper security for the others. Mamata Sharma, chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) said it was shocking to know the man committed suicide despite all security arrangement in such a high-profile jail. She also criticised the judiciary for taking a long time in settling such cases.

It was learnt that Singh had a suicidal tendency, something which necessitated to tighten the security all the more, Sharma said.

Poornima Advani, former chairperson of the NCW also expressed her shock over the incident. She said it was a big lapse on the government's part while dealing with such a sensitive case.

Former top cop Kiran Bedi said it was important to know what sort of watch was kept on Singh in the jail.

The Tihar authorities ordered a sub-divisional magisterial level probe into the incident. A forensic team later reached the Tihar jail to look into the death of Singh.

Asha, a relative of Singh, said they had no idea how it all happened.

V K Anand, lawyer of Singh, rubbished that the latter was suffering from depression and was in a mood to suicide. He suspected some foul play behind Singh's death.

The ministry of home affairs has sought a report from DG, prisons, on the incident.

OneIndia News