Inmate dies in Mansa jail; Akalis blame police, hold protest

Darshan was arrested for allegedly carrying 24 bottles of smuggled liquor from Haryana on Friday. He was sent to judicial custody on Saturday. In the evening, he reportedly fell ill and later died at the Mansa civil hospital.
Bathinda :The Shiromani Akali Dal workers on Sunday blocked the Sardulgarh–Sirsa road to protest the death of a man who was sent to the Mansa jail for allegedly smuggling liquor.
Led by Rajya Sabha member Balwinder Singh Bhunder, they alleged that Darshan Singh of Sardulgarh had died of police beating. The protesters, comprising Darshan’s kin and Akali workers, placed his body on the road to block traffic.
Darshan was arrested for allegedly carrying 24 bottles of smuggled liquor from Haryana on Friday. He was sent to judicial custody on Saturday. In the evening, he reportedly fell ill and later died at the Mansa civil hospital.
Demanding action against Sardulgarh station house officer (SHO) Gurdeep Singh Bhunder, Bhunder said the victim’s family alleged he had been booked in a false case and beaten by cops.
Denying the allegations, the SHO said Darshan faced several cases under the Excise Act and was again nabbed with smuggled liquor on Friday. Before sending Darshan to judicial custody, he was medically examined, he said.
Jail superintendent RS Randhawa said the accused had developed some medical problem and fell unconscious. “He was taken to hospital in the jail and then to the Mansa civil hospital where he died,” he said.