Nirbhaya rape case: Convicts under depression, police keep close watch

The four convicts facing death in the 2012 Nirbhaya rape and murder case are under depression and Tihar Jail officials are keeping a close watch to ensure they do not harm themselves, PTI's prison sources said. Four-five cops have been assigned to each of the four convicts, the sources informed. The four Akshay, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma have also reduced their food intake, they added.

On Friday, senior officials, including Tihar Director-General Sandeep Goel, visited Jail No 3, where the hanging will take place, to inspect the preparation and were satisfied with it. The four convicts have been on a suicide watch since Ram Singh, one of the convicts, allegedly killed himself in 2013 but there is increased monitoring now, the sources said.

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In 2016, even gang-rape convict Vinay Sharma attempted to commit suicide in Delhi's Tihar jail. He was admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital. The rapist first took painkillers and then tried to hang himself with a towel in the jail. He was caught in the act and stopped by a Tamil Nadu special police on duty.

A juvenile, who was among the six accused, was convicted by a juvenile justice board. He was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term. To ensure that any information is not leaked out in the high-profile case, Tihar jail officials phones have been put on surveillance. Meanwhile, Tihar jail authorities said they have been receiving requests from several people who are ready to volunteer as hangman.

SC review plea

The newly constituted Supreme Court bench comprising Justices R Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan and AS Bopanna will pronounce the order on the review plea of Akshay Singh, one of the convicts in the Nirbhaya rape and murder case at 1 pm on Wednesday. While AP Singh, the counsel for the accused was given half an hour to argue the matter, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta finished his argument in less than 10 minutes. There has been a speculation that the convicts in this case would be hanged soon after the Tihar jail recently requested the services of 2 hangmen.  

Nirbhaya’s parents told Republic TV on Wednesday that they in support of the live telecast of the convicts’ sentence. Asha Devi, the mother of rape victim Nirbhaya said that they have been waiting for justice to be served for the past seven years. She further added that live telecast of the death sentence will send a message across to all the people guilty of such crime.

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(with PTI inputs)