Was Ram Singh under suicide watch? What is suicide watch?

New Delhi, March 11: Gang rape accused Ram Singh managed to dodge all eyes on him -- the guard posted to keep a "suicide watch" on him and inmates in the high-security cell in

.

According to Kiran Bedi, who has been Tihar Jail DGP, only an inquiry will tell under what special watch was he and what happened to that watch.

"How did this man give this watch a slip? I think we need to wait for the inquiry," she said

"Where a prison inmate loses hope and knows he has no chance of getting away he does look for opportunities to take his own life inside jail. The enquiry ordered will reveal what kind of e-watch or h-watch (human watch) he was under," she said.

Suicide watch manual

A guard is posted outside his cell to keep a watch on him. Singh was not alone in the cell in Jail Number three of the prisons when he used his clothes to hang himself from the grill early this morning.

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 cheking staff is kept in such a way that the prisoner doesn't know when they're coming.
In India police rely on 'inmate observers'. Using inmate observers or fellow prisoners is more effective and in Ram singh's case also there were other prisoners in his cell.

Singh and other four accused in the case were also under suicide watch -- an alert that the inmates could take extreme step -- since January after they stopped interacting with other inmates.

Ram Singh ended his life using the clothes he was wearing. The suicide of 33-year-old prime accused in the December 16 Delhi gangrape case, raises questions about the role of authorities who were keeping a watch.

High profile prisoners who were under suicide watch

Last month, South African Paralympic and Olympic star Oscar Pistorius was put under suicide watch in prison after fears emerged that the sprinter might try to take his own life following charges he premeditatedly killed his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius was constantly monitored due to police concerns over his mental state after he broke down during his hearing in a Pretoria court.

In 2011, the prison guards at New York's Rikers Island jail had kept a close watch on former chief of IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn to make sure that he doesn't commit suicide.

The 63-year-old French politician was in jail after being accused by a hotel maid of attempting to rape her in the hotel room.

Even Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, found guilty of one charge of involuntary manslaughter, was placed on suicide watch at the Los Angeles County Jail within hours of being taken into custody in November 2011.

OneIndia News