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The Odisha Human Rights Commission has directed the state government to give a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the next kin of an undertrial who committed suicide by hanging self in 2018.
According to sources, Jitendra Kumar Biswal (32) had hanged self at the toilet of the Bhubaneswar-based Jharpada Special Jail on May 12, 2018 while undergoing jail term there.
OHRC’s order came in response to a petition filed by rights activist Prabir Das.
The petitioner had claimed that Biswal, a resident of Kendrapada district, was convicted in a case and trial was under way for another case. He had been undergoing jail term since July 2013. Jitendra was suffering from depression for which he took the extreme step.
Das in his petition further mentioned that despite knowing Biswal’s state of mind the jail authorities had neither provided him psychiatric treatment nor taken him for counselling. Thus, Jitendra’s death should be attributed to sheer negligence on part of jail authorities and the state government should provide compensation to the next kin of Biswal.
In its order, the rights commission said the father and mother of the deceased Biswal will get Rs 2 lakh each, while his wife will get Rs 1 lakh from the compensation amount.
It is learnt that Biswal’s wife remarried after his death.
