Prison official denies any foul play
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Hyderabad: Mohammad Ripon a Bangladeshi national convicted on illegal entry charges allegedly committed suicide at Chanchalguda Central Prison in Hyderabad.
25 year old Ripon was arrested in Shahinayatgunj police station limits on 31st January of this year. On July 23, 16th Metropolitan magistrate in just 6 months of trial convicted Ripon on charges of illegal entry under Foreigners Act 1946 and Indian Emigration Act of 1983, and awarded 2 years imprisonment, and Rs. 10,000 fine which if he failed to pay have to undergo 6 months of additional term. His arrest and conviction was such a low profile affair, they are doubts that if he even received any legal representation.
Speaking with TCN Chanchalguda Central Prison’s Superintendent of Police B. Saidaiah told that Ripon was arrested from old city under suspicious circumstances where he was roaming around with his luggage, when police inquired, they couldn’t find any identification proof, after subsequent interrogation he confessed to police that he is a Bangladeshi national. According to his chargesheet Mohammad Ripon who is educated till intermediate crossed over to West Bengal, stayed for 1 month in Kolkata, than move to Bangalore and Chennai where he stayed for 2 months each before moving to Hyderabad. However police has specifically ruled out any terror angel and term it case just an illegal influx.
According to police after getting convicted for 2 years, Ripon got dishearten and started complaining to his inmates about his futile life. On Friday evening at 5 p.m. he went in the jail lavatory with the permission to have a bath, when he didn’t returned back after ½ hour warden went to check in to find his body hanging. According to SP he committed suicide by hanging himself using his clothes with ventilator support. He was immediately shifted to Osmania Hospital by jail medical officer, where he was declared dead and postmortem was conducted on his body, report is not yet released. His body is kept in storage at Osmania hospital and according to police Bangladeshi embassy is being notified to inform his relatives to collect the body for last rites.
There have been many instances in Hyderabad where Bengali Muslims from West Bengal and Assam were harassed in the name of illegal Bangladeshi migrants, especially in the aftermath of terror strikes in the city. But this time police ruled out any such misidentification and claimed that deceased himself claimed he is Bangladeshi and immediately after his arrest Bangladeshi embassy was informed to counsel their national but police received no further response from the embassy.