Father seeks FIR against Nashik prison officials named in convict’s suicide note

The petition seeks that the allegations in the note be thoroughly investigated in a time-bound manner and the prison officials be suspended.

A writ petition was filed by the father of a 32-year-old convict, who died by suicide in Nashik central prison last month, seeking the registration of an FIR against the five prison officials named by him in the suicide note.

Asgharali Mansoori was found dead in a cell of the jail on October 7. During the postmortem, a note was found in his abdomen, which named five officials, stating that he was harassed by them. The petition filed by Mansoori’s father, Mumtaz, and People’s Union for Civil Liberties, states that as his father he has the right to know the circumstances that led to the death of his son. While an Accidental Death Record was filed by the Nashik police, an FIR is yet to be filed.

The petition seeks that the allegations in the note be thoroughly investigated in a time-bound manner and the prison officials be suspended. The petition also seeks that an independent and impartial body probe into the incident.

After his death, at least five prisoners lodged at the jail had also written a letter detailing the alleged harassment Mansoori faced. They had also sought for their statements to be recorded by the magistrate.

The petition says that their statements were not recorded by the police yet and sought that they should be provided protection and shifted to another jail in the state. The petition says that the family suspects foul play including the fact that Mansoori was kept in a separate cell for six months as “punishment” in violation of prison rules.

Mansoori was convicted in a murder case and had spent nearly 14 years in jail. The petition says that not investigating the death is a violation of fundamental rights. The petition has named the state Home department and the SP of Nashik jail as respondents.

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