An undertrial lodged in the district jail at Pratapgarh, died after sustaining burn injuries on the prison premises on Friday afternoon. Three jail officials were promptly suspended and a high-level inquiry was launched, officials at the Uttar Pradesh Prison Administration and Reform Services headquarters in Lucknow said.
According to an official statement issued by the headquarters, the incident took place at around 12.02 pm on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Deepak alias Rahul, son of Shanti Prasad, a resident of Purwa Mirzapur Rasoolabad village, under the Makhi police station in Unnao district.
Officials said the undertrial was lodged in Pratapgarh district jail since November 1, 2025 in connection with case crime number registered at Kandhai police station, Pratapgarh, under sections 354, 506, 306 and 384 of the IPC, along with Sections 7 and 8 of the Pocso Act in 2024. The prison headquarters said the inmate died due to burn injuries caused by fire, though the exact circumstances leading to the incident are yet to be ascertained.
Those suspended include Chonhar Kumar (head jail warder), Akhilesh Singh (head jail warder), and Dhruv Narayan Srivastava (deputy jailer).
“The matter is of a serious nature. Immediate suspension orders have been issued against the concerned officials and a departmental inquiry has been instituted against them,” the prison headquarters said in its statement.
A detailed probe has been entrusted to Pradeep Gupta, DIG, prisons, who has been directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the inmate’s death and submit a report. Officials said further action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.
The cause of the fire and whether there was any lapse in supervision or prison safety protocols are likely to be key aspects of the investigation.
