Jun 23 2008
Burney demands probe on mysteriously death of Indian prisoner in Pak jail!
An Indian prisoner died of an electric shock mysteriously in Landhi jail in Karachi which prompts the leading human rights activist, Ansar Burney to probe the case.
The person died was identified as 25 year old Fisherman Bhagwan Das. He was electrocuted when he touched a pipe in a bathroom on Monday morning Landhi Jail Superintendent Nusrat Sanghan said. Das had gone along with other prisoners to wash clothes.
Majithia, hailing from Gujarat, was arrested along with 16 other fishermen on April 24 for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters.
He was the second Indian prisoner to die while being held in Landhi Jail within four months. Earlier Laxman Kanji, a 40-year-old fisherman, died of cardiac arrest after being rushed to hospital from the prison on March 20.
After the death of Das in “mysterious circumstances” Ansar Burney asked authorities to conduct a probe.
“This man was a prisoner and it is a bit hard to believe that a prisoner can die of an electric shock. It is not as if he was at home or at his workplace and could have been exposed to electrical equipment that could have caused his death,” Burney said.
India and Pakistan had recently formed a joint committee of retired judges to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners and to recommend measures to expedite their release. The Indian members of the panel visited Pakistani jails this month and met Indian prisoners in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi also.
