Pakistan terms reports on Chamel Singh as 'malicious Indian propaganda'

LAHORE: Pakistani authroities today rejected as "malicious Indian propaganda" reports that Indian prisoner Chamel Singh had died after allegedly being assaulted by jail staff here, saying his death was caused by a sudden stroke and heart attack.

Mohsin Rafiq Chaudhry, Senior Superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, claimed a few Indian newspapers had published "concocted news with ulterior motives" about Singh being tortured to death.

He also described the reports of Singh's death after allegedly being assaulted as "malicious Indian propaganda".

Singh, said to be in his sixties, was declared dead on arrival by doctors at the state-run Jinnah Hospital on January 15. He was serving a five-year prison term for alleged involvement in espionage.

Despite Chaudhry's claim, even Pakistani newspapers like The Express Tribune had reported that marks of injury had been found on Singh's body during an autopsy on March 13.

The autopsy was done nearly two months after Singh's death and Pakistani officials have not given any explanation for the delay.

Chaudhry claimed that reports of Singh being assaulted or tortured before his death were "absolutely misleading" and had "no iota of truth".

He said Singh had suddenly suffered a stroke in the presence of other Indian prisoners in the compound of barrack No 4 of Kot Lakhpat Jail. Singh was immediately rushed to the nearby Jinnah Hospital but he succumbed to a heart attack on the way to the hospital, Chaudhry said.