Two inmates of Jorhat Central Jail, including an accused in the Teok Tea Estate doctor lynching case, died in the last 48 hours.

A jail official said Hari Majhi (46), one of the 32 accused in the Dr Deben Dutta murder case, expired at Jorhat Medical College Hospital (JMCH) early on Wednesday morning after he was taken to the hospital following an illness.

The official said as the wards, where the inmates are lodged, were unlocked in the early morning by jail warders, Majhi was found unconscious and he was immediately brought to the jail hospital and provided medical treatment.

The official said as per the doctor’s advice, Majhi was shifted to JMCH and he expired at around 6.46 am.

Stating that Majhi, who did not have any health problems, the official said other inmates had said Majhi seemed to be in good health at 10 pm on Tuesday as he was seen watching TV and talking to his fellow prisoners of the ward.

The official said the post-mortem of the body was conducted and the body was handed over to his family for the last rites to be performed at Teok in Jorhat district.

The official said the court of Jorhat District and Sessions Judge, responding to a plea by Majhi’s son Rinku Majhi, another accused in the doctor’s murder case, granted permission to carry out the last rites of his father under police custody.

The judgment in the Dr Deben Dutta murder case is expected to be delivered on September 30.

Majhi was lodged in the jail on September 2, 2019 after his arrest by police following the lynching of Dr Dutta by a mob at the garden hospital on August 31, 2019.

The official further informed that another inmate, Bhaity Das, a prisoner convicted under Sections 307 (Attempt to murder) and 324 of the IPC, died early morning on Tuesday following an ailment.

The official said Das, who was found having breathing problems in the wee hours of Tuesday by other inmates of his ward, was immediately brought to the jail hospital after authorities were informed and was given medical treatment.

Das was shifted to JMCH for further treatment but was reportedly declared dead at the hospital.

The official said Das, a resident of Borigaon in Jorhat, was lodged in the jail since October 26, 2017.

He too was found normal by his fellow inmates and staff, the official stated.

His body was handed over to his family members after conducting the post-mortem.

Smita Bhattacharyya is Northeast Now Correspondent in Jorhat. She can be reached at: [email protected]