A custodial death rocked Bihar's Gaya on Wednesday after an inmate of the Gaya Central Jail, lodged there in a couple of cheque-bounce cases, was declared dead at the Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH).

The friends and family of the deceased, identified as one Ratan Sinha, 35, alleged that he was murdered inside the jail at the behest of the people who had registered cases against him.

They protested with the body at the hospital gates and even blocked the nearby main road. The district administration later pacified them and lifted the traffic blockade.

Ratan’s brother Gautam Kumar Sinha said that he got a phone call from the jail in the morning that his brother was ill and had been admitted to the ANMMCH.

“We rushed to the hospital and found the body of my brother kept there. There were no police personnel or jail officials present there. We demanded the ECG report but the hospital authorities did not provide it. He was expected to get bail soon,” Gautam said.

Ratan’s father Kapildeo Prasad Sinha has submitted a written complaint at Rampur police station in the town, alleging that three persons Ajay Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Neeraj Kumar, who had registered a cheque-bounce case against his son conspired with jail officials and got him murdered.

The jail authorities asserted that Ratan died of a hypertension-related illness.

“Ratan was brought to jail on May 15 and was a hypertension and hyper obesity patient. His weight was 128kg. He was being provided medicines in the jail. He complained of feeling ill on Tuesday and was under the supervision of doctors. We got information at around 4am today (Wednesday) that his condition has deteriorated. We took him to ANMMCH. The doctors there conducted his ECG and declared him dead,” Gaya Central Jail superintendent Vijay Kumar Arora told The Telegraph.

The jail superintendent pointed out that Ratan died just before he was to be produced in court. He added that a postmortem has been done and an inquest would be held later. A judicial enquiry will also follow as it is done in cases of custodial deaths.