Delhi gang-rape: Prime accused Ram Singh kills himself in Tihar Jail

NEW DELHI: The main accused in the Delhi gang-rape case, Ram Singh was found dead in Tihar Jail on Monday morning in mysterious circumstances.

A police guard found Singh hanging from the grill of his prison cell at 5:45 am, while there were three other inmates in the cell. They claimed they were asleep and had heard nothing.

Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the death was a major security lapse on the part of prison authorities, saying the preliminary probe indicated it was suicide. "There were three other inmates in the cell in which Singh was found hanging," Shinde said.

Jail authorities say Singh was found hanging from a rod in the cell's grill. He apparently stood over a plastic bucket, given to each inmate for bathing, and used an improvised noose made from his clothes to hang himself. There is no CCTV camera facing the cell to find out what transpired.

"We have ordered a magisterial inquiry," Shinde said.

Singh, along with four other accused in the case, were under a special watch of jail authorities as they had shown signs of depression and suicidal tendencies, a jail official said. "However, Singh had lately started speaking to fellow inmates," an official said.

Singh's family alleged he was murdered and said he had faced sexual abuse and assaults after his incarceration. Singh's lawyer VK Anand also suspected foul play and said he had no reason to commit suicide since he was satisfied with the trial.


"He was fine till last Friday," Anand said. The brother of the rape victim, said they were surprised but not saddened by the incident, adding Singh would have been sentenced to death by the court in any case.

The incident sparked off a blame game between the Delhi government and the home ministry. Delhi chief minister Shiela Diskhit met home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to discuss the incident and later told reporters that the Director General of Prisons, Tihar, was an IPS officer who reported to the home ministry.

MHA officials, meanwhile, said the Tihar Jail administration was totally under the purview of the Delhi government and DG, Tihar, was simply an IPS officer on deputation.