The Hindu : Karnataka News : Officials seek probe into undertrial’s death

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Wednesday, Jul 04, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Officials seek probe into undertrial’s death

Staff Correspondent

Anxious wait: Relatives of Tippeswamy, an undertrial who died, outside the district jail in Chitradurga on Tuesday.

Chitradurga: The authorities at the Chitradurga District Jail have sought a magisterial inquiry to establish the cause of death of Tippeswamy, an undertrial who died on Sunday.

Jail Superintendent Veerabhadrappa said he had written to in-charge Deputy Commissioner H.P. Prakash for a magisterial inquiry to be ordered. Tippeswamy is said to have died of injuries after he was allegedly attacked by members of the Korangu gang inside the Chitradurga District Jail on Saturday.

Show-cause notices have been issued to jail officials M. Gopal, T. Mallikarjunappa, S. Malleshappa and Halappa in this regard, he said.

Tippeswamy, from Pavagada taluk of Tumkur district was accused of being involved in naxalite activities. He was said to among a 10-member gang that massacred police personnel in Tumkur district in 2005. He was brought to the district jail here on June 26.

The differing accounts of how he died have given room for suspicion. According to one report, a quarrel broke out between Tippeswamy and the Korangu gang over the usage of a cell phone inside the jail. This resulted in a fight in which Tippeswamy was severely injured.

He was taken to the district hospital here by the police, who were asked to shift him to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences Bangalore. Tippeswamy died while he was being taken to Bangalore.

The jail authorities first said that Tippeswamy had died of a heart attack, but have now called for an inquiry.

On Tuesday, Tippeswamy’s wife, parents and relatives gathered near the district jail here seeking compensation for his death. His wife, Gurudevamma, who had come with their two children, maintained that although he used to commit robbery and theft, her husband was not a naxalite.

His father, Sriramulu, alleged that the police had registered false cases against Tippeswamy. He demanded compensation for his son’s death. “We want justice for what has been done to my son,” he said.

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