Inmate allegedly dies by suicide in Naini Central Jail
An inquiry has been initiated to determine the circumstances leading to the suicide, senior jail superintendent Vijay Vikram Singh said.
A 60-year-old life-term convict allegedly died by suicide inside Naini Central Jail late Saturday evening, police said.
The deceased, a resident of Barua village in Kaushambi district, was convicted in a 2020 murder case of his neighbour and was sentenced to life imprisonment on December 23, 2023, by a Kaushambi sessions court, along with his two brothers.
Initially lodged in Kaushambi District Jail, the convict was transferred to Naini Central Jail on July 20, 2025.
An inquiry has been initiated to determine the circumstances leading to the suicide, senior jail superintendent Vijay Vikram Singh said.
According to jail officials, the inmate allegedly used a towel to hang himself from a mango tree near the mat storage area in cell number two.
Late Saturday evening, inmates noticed him hanging and raised an alarm. Senior officers were subsequently informed.
On Sunday, a panel of two doctors conducted a post-mortem on the deceased’s body, which was recorded on video. According to police officials, the post-mortem confirmed that the cause of death was hanging.
Senior jail superintendent Vijay Vikram Singh, who is investigating the case, said that Saurabh Singh, the prison guard on duty at the time of the incident, has been suspended. He added that strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty during the investigation.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s family has leveled allegations against jail officials following his death. His wife claimed that ever since the deceased was transferred to Naini Jail, he had been under threat.
At the post-mortem house, the deceased’s wife stated that after Navratri, when she visited her husband in jail, he had told her that his life was in danger and that he could be killed. She further alleged that a jail official, angered by an earlier argument, had been harassing him in various ways.
The senior jail superintendent, however, denied the allegations.
