Detainee hangs self with lungi in Salem prison
Another under trial prisoner from the adjacent cell noticed him hanging dead and informed the prison officials.
Salem: A ‘Goondas Act’ detainee committed suicide by hanging with the help of a ‘lungi’ tied to the ceiling fan in his cell in Salem Central prison on Saturday.
Police said M. Ajith Kumar, 23 from Kumarapalayam in Namakkal district was arrested by Tiruchengode rural police on October 24 for waylaying and was lodged at the prison.
He was serving imprisonment along with three other prisoners in cell number 11 in the eighth block. As he was a repeated offender, the Namakkal district administration served him an order detaining him under the ‘Goondas Act’ as per the recommendations of the Namakkal rural police a few days ago.
Around 3 pm, the other inmates of his cell had gone to watch cinema screened during weekends in prison, when Ajith Kumar stayed back and took the extreme step. He tied the lungi to the ceiling fan and hanged.
Another under trial prisoner from the adjacent cell noticed him hanging dead and informed the prison officials. They then sent his body for post-mortem at the Salem Government hospital.
The Asthampatty police have registered a case. Preliminary enquiries revealed that Ajith Kumar was depressed as none of his family members visited him at the prison. Further investigations are on.