Delhi gangrape convict claims he was attacked in jail

New Delhi, Aug 21: One of the four death row convicts in the 16 December gangrape and murder case on Thursday, Aug 20 claimed in court that he was brutally assaulted by the inmates in Tihar Jail in New Delhi due to which he has sustained fractures.

Vinay Sharma, who is also facing trial in a separate robbery case along with the other three, moved an application before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh saying he was assaulted by the inmates on 15 and 16 August respectively.

The plea, filed through advocate AP Singh, said that Vinay was attacked inside the jail due to which his left hand and left leg got fractured.

"Vinay Sharma was beaten up very badly on August 15 and 16 by other inmates of the jail," the plea said adding that five to six jail inmates, who had allegedly assaulted him, had also threatened to kill him in the prison.

The counsel said the court has called for a report from the jail authority on 25 August on Vinay's plea. The court is currently hearing the final arguments in the robbery case.

A special fast track court had earlier awarded death penalty to four convicts - Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh - in the gangrape and murder case which was later confirmed by the Delhi High Court. Their appeals are pending before the Supreme Court.

In the robbery case, Delhi police has alleged that before gangraping the 23-year-old girl in the moving bus in New Delhi on the night of December 16, 2012, the accused had lured a carpenter, Ram Adhar, into the vehicle and robbed him.

The gangrape victim had died in a Singapore hospital on 29 December, 2012.
The accused facing trial in the robbery case had earlier claimed that they had not robbed or assaulted the complainant.

Ram Adhar had identified in the court the four accused as those who had robbed and assaulted him on 16 December, 2012 night.

The court had put them on trial in the robbery case for the offences under various sections of IPC, including sections 395 (dacoity) and 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person).

PTI