Undertrial in Amritsar drugs case dies in judicial custody

Chandigarh, July 21 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of the main accused in the recent Amritsar drugs case in judicial custody.

The Chief Minister has asked Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Himanshu Aggarwal to conduct a detailed probe into the death of Gurpinder Singh in a hospital on Sunday, according to an official spokesperson.

The ADM has been asked to ascertain all the facts and the circumstances leading to the death of Gurpinder Singh.

The magisterial inquiry will be in addition to the post-mortem examination, which will be conducted by a high-level team of doctors, and the judicial proceedings under the CrPC to be conducted by a Judicial Magistrate.

The spokesperson said the accused was admitted to the jail hospital of the Amritsar Central Jail on July 18.

The concerned medical officer referred him to the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar for treatment on Sunday after his condition deteriorated. He was declared brought dead at the hospital.

Amarinder Singh has directed the ADM to undertake a thorough investigation into the matter and identify the lapses that led to the death of the undertrial.

Gurpinder Singh was lodged in the Amritsar Central Jail on June 29 after being booked under Section 135 of the Customs Act after 532 kg of heroin and 52 kg of suspected mixed narcotics were seized from the accused.

As Gurpinder Singh was a chronic diabetes patient with deteriorating health condition, he was admitted to the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital for treatment on July 2 before being discharged on July 6.

The next day, he was taken into custody by the Rajasansi Police till July 11.