Jamshedpur, Aug. 25: Two senior officials of the Sakchi jail are set to face the music as chief minister Arjun Munda has ordered for their suspension in connection with the death of a Sikh undertrial on the jail premises.

On July 27, 40-year-old Tez Ranveer Singh was found dead on the jail campus. It was alleged that some of the inmates had beaten the undertrial to death over a dispute.

The Kadma police on July 24 arrested Singh in connection with a case related to trespassing. He was forwarded to the Sakchi jail on July 25.

“I have ordered for the suspension of the superintendent and jailer of the Sakchi jail, Deepak Vidyarthi and Suresh Prasad Sinha, holding them responsible for the death of the Sikh youth,” the chief minister told The Telegraph.

“The home ministry has been directed to take action on my orders,” said Munda, who is also in-charge of the home department, added.

According to the chief minister, he has also ordered for a probe to investigate the allegations of rampant corruption in the jail.

The commissioner of the Kolhan-Singhbhum commissionary, Chintu Nayak, would have to probe the matter and submit a detailed report to the home ministry.

The Sikh community of the city took to the streets after Singh’s death and protested against the callous attitude of jail authorities.

Jamshedpur Lok Sabha member Sunil Mahto, also took part in the protest rally. The Sikh community later handed over a memorandum to the deputy commissioner, Sunil Kumar Burnwal.

A five-team of the state minorities commission, led by chairman Khem Singh, visited the jail on August 13 to probe the custodial death.

And the vice-chairman of the commission had admitted that the youth was murdered on the jail campus.

Khem Singh had blamed the jail officials for not hospitalising the youth after he was beaten up by two other inmates with batons.

He also raised the question as to how the inmates could get hold of batons inside the jail. He was also of the view that the environment within the jail was not healthy, hinting that the powerful and the mafia elements called the shots inside the jail.

The state unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) had also sent a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) regarding the custodial death.

The rights watch group also alleged indifferent attitude of the Sakchi jail officials in protecting the lives of the inmates within the jail.

Some feel that the chief minister’s action against the two senior officials of the jail was an attempt to placate the Sikh community before the Assembly poll.

“With Assembly poll round the corner, it would have been difficult for the state government to ignore the issue since it involved the Sikh community, which form a large chunk of the electorate in the two Assembly segments of Jamshedpur,” a district official said.

However, Munda denied that the suspension order was an attempt to garner Sikh support before the election.

“Is it not the primary responsibility of the senior officials to ensure that no inmates are harassed by anyone in the jail? In fact the Kolhan-Singhbhum commissioner has to pinpoint in his report about the different loopholes that exist in that jail,” the chief minister said.