Nirbhaya gang-rape convict tries to commit suicide

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts in the December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya gang-rape, was being treated at a city hospital after he tried to commit suicide by hanging himself inside his cell in Tihar Jail, an official said on Thursday

Sharma, the driver of the bus in which the gang-rape occurred, was admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (DDU) after he consumed pills and tried to hang himself from the ventilator of his cell by using a towel on Wednesday night.

"Tamil Nadu Police security personnel prevented Vinay from commiting suicide after they saw him trying to hang himself in his cell around 9.30 p.m. He was immediately taken to DDU hospital for treatment. He is now reportedly out of danger," Tihar Jail Superintendent Bijendra Kumar told IANS.

The officer said that Sharma has been lodged in Jail No.8 of the high security ward in Tihar. He, however, said the reason for the attempt was not known. "I cannot say why he tried to commit suicide as we immediately sent him to hospital for treatment," Kumar said.

Asked if Sharma was being harassed inside the jail which led him to take such step, Kumar said: "We did not get any such complaint from his side."

Sharma's lawyer A.P. Singh claimed that it was not a suicide attempt but attempt to murder. "Few days ago, I met him in jail where he complained about torture inside the jail premises," Singh told IANS.

Sharma had in 2013 demanded extra security in jail, claiming that he was being beaten up by other inmates and police officials.

Sharma, Mukesh, Pawan, Akshay Thakur and Ram Singh, along with a juvenile, were accused of gang-raping and brutally assaulting a 23-year-old paramedical student inside a private bus. The victim and her friend were thrown out of the bus after the crime.

The victim died of grave intestinal injuries on December 29, 2012, at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital where she was airlifted for specialised treatment.

Vinay, along with three others, had approached the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's 2014 verdict that described their offence as "rarest of rare" and handed them death penalities.

Sharma is the second among the all gang-rape accused who tried to commit suicide.

In 2013, Ram Singh, the prime accused in the case, was found dead in the Tihar Jail.