Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, May 12: Mesh and CCTV cameras will be installed in wards for prisoners at Wenlock Hospital following the recent suicide of an undertrial prisoner a few days ago.
Mohammed Naufal (24), a resident of Bandyodu near Manjeshwar, was the prisoner who died by suicide at Wenlock Hospital. Naufal was arrested by Konaje police under the NDPS Act in December 2022. Unable to secure bail, he was lodged in prison. Due to his addiction to narcotic drugs, he developed psychological issues. On April 25, he was admitted to Wenlock Hospital, where he received counselling from the day of admission.
Naufal's health showed significant improvement, and he returned to normalcy. Doctors decided to send him back to prison on May 7. However, on May 6, at around 4 am, Naufal tied a bedsheet to the window and hung himself.
Naufal's suicide marked the third such incident at Wenlock. Previously, Divakar, a resident of Kadaba, had jumped from the new block of Wenlock to his death on July 7, 2023. Another patient had also hanged himself in the hospital washroom earlier.
Due to the need for fresh air inside the prison wards, the windows cannot be closed. Although mesh was previously installed, its quality was poor. Now, it has been decided to install high-quality and durable mesh.
Police will provide 24x7 guard outside the jail ward at Wenlock Hospital. Nurses will only enter the ward when necessary. Since the nurses and police were outside, Naufal's suicide went unnoticed. Therefore, CCTV cameras will be installed to allow monitoring from outside.
At the time of Naufal's suicide, there were five prisoners in the undertrial prisoner ward at Wenlock. Four were in deep sleep. When two prisoners woke up in the morning, they discovered Naufal hanging from the window. Both prisoners experienced shock upon witnessing Naufal's body and received treatment before being returned to prison on Tuesday.
Dr Sudhakar, the RMO of Wenlock Hospital, stated, "Naufal's health had significantly improved, and he was scheduled for discharge from the hospital on May 7. However, since he took his own life on May 6, it has been decided to install mesh and CCTV cameras in the prisoner's ward."