On death row, Nirbhaya's rapist tries hurting himself inside Tihar
Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts facing death in connection to the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, attempted to hurt himself inside Tihar jail, said reports. The incident happened on Monday and Vinay was saved by jail officials. Lodged in jail number 3, he hit his head on the wall after which he was taken to a hospital and provided medical aid.
They raped a 23-year-old, now are awaiting death
Vinay, along with five of his accomplices, raped a 23-year-old paramedical student on a moving bus on December 16, 2012. The juvenile was freed after three years in a correction home and the bus driver, Ram Singh, committed suicide. Vinay, Mukesh, Pawan, and Akshay were sentenced to death in 2013 for the horrendous incident. They will be hanged on March 3.
Convicts have been issued black warrants thrice
Despite being a high-profile case that infuriated the country, the convicts exploited the legal system to buy time. They were initially supposed to be hanged on January 22, then on February 1. This week, a new black warrant was issued against them.
Earlier, Vinay's lawyer said he wasn't mentally fit
Before hitting his head on the wall, Vinay even tried to fracture his hand by sticking it inside the cell's grill. If his mother is to be believed, he refused to recognize her either. Earlier, his lawyer AP Sharma claimed Vinay was suffering from acute mental illness. He is also on a hunger strike, the counsel had said. But jail authorities contested this.
Jail official dismissed claims of Vinay being ill
A jail official said, "He is in perfect health and responded positively to the psychometry tests conducted on him recently." But it was underscored that the convicts are behaving differently since the latest warrant was issued. All four of them have been aggressive with the wardens and guards. In fact, Vinay and Mukesh had to be convinced to eat food too.
Vinay told President that inmates and jail authorities tortured him
Notably, in his mercy plea sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, Vinay alleged he was tortured inside the prison by inmates and jail authorities. "The first day itself I was beaten up badly by the on-duty Tamil Nadu Special Police. I was barely conscious. It was only because of the head warden who intervened and saved me that I survived the attack," he said.
He said inmates spat in his food
He added, "They (inmates) would spit in my food before giving it to me. They would throw water on my blanket during winter and I used to shiver the whole night." According to Vinay, he has been attacked several times inside the prison.
All four have been kept under high security
Since the D-Day is approaching, authorities at Tihar are being extra cautious with the convicts. Wardens keep an eye on them round-the-clock and are ensuring they have minimum interaction with other inmates. Sometimes, death row convicts turn towards violence with the hope of getting the execution date stalled. If a convict is injured or is underweight, the process is delayed till he/she gets fit.
