Satnam’s death: Six taken into custody

The Crime Branch team probing into the mysterious death of Bihari youth Satnam Singh has taken six staff of the Government Mental Health Centre, Peroorkada,into custody for interrogation, it is learnt.

Those taken into custody are working as wardens and security personnel at the centre. A policemen attached to the Prisons  Department, who was on duty at the hospital was also taken into custody. They were taken into custody based on the suspicion that they beat up Satnam, which eventually caused his death.


Meanwhile, District Medical Officer Dr T Peethambaran submitted a report to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday.

In his report, the DMO stated that Satnam received injuries which caused his death after he was brought to the mental health centre. The altercation between the hospital staff and Satnam occurred when he objected to the former’s attempts to cut his hair, the DMO is learnt to have reported.

Additional District Magistrate P K Girija also submitted the report to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) on Wednesday. There are recommendations in the report to take action against seven staff of the Mental Health Centre, Peroorkada including three security staff who were on duty at the time when Satnam was beat up at the Centre, it is learnt.

“It is a normal procedure that a District Magistrate conducts enquiry when such incidents happen,” said the ADM who declined to comment about the details of the report. Meanwhile Satnam’s body, which was brought to Gaya on late Tuesday, was cremated on Wednesday.

The body was cremated without performing re- postmortem. Though his relatives told the other day that the body would be subject to re-postmortem in Bihar, they changed the decision as his mother opposed this.