The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has sought an inquiry report into the death of an undertrial prisoner under suspicious circumstances at the District Jail, Neemka, in Faridabad.

While hearing a complaint, Commission member Deep Bhatia directed the Director General of Prisons, Haryana, to submit a factual report through the Director General (Investigation) of the HHRC before the next hearing.

The complaint alleged that the deceased, Rankit alias Ritik, was subjected to continuous physical and mental harassment during his judicial custody. It further claimed that he was suffering from depression but was not provided timely specialised medical and psychological care. The complainant has also alleged that the prison authorities failed to implement adequate monitoring and safety measures in accordance with his mental health condition.

The complainant, Nikhil, has urged the Commission to ascertain which doctor or psychiatrist treated the inmate, the medicines administered to him, whether prison authorities complied with suicide prevention protocols and jail regulations, and the role of the officers and staff on duty at the time of the incident.

The complaint has also sought preservation of all crucial documentary and electronic evidence, including CCTV footage from the prison premises, recordings from the control room and security towers, entry and exit registers, duty rosters, daily logbooks, visitor registers, medical and psychiatric records, and the complaint register. It has further requested preservation of call detail records and location data of the mobile phones of the officials concerned. The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 19.

Rankit alias Ritik (24), a resident of Ghazipur village in Faridabad, was found dead inside the washroom of the jail hospital in the early hours of June 7. His family had staged protests, alleging harassment by jail authorities and demanding a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding his death.