KASUR, April 26: A man who had been sentenced to death some time ago died in the district jail on Tuesday because of alleged negligence of jail authorities.

Yahya Bhatti, 40, a resident of Mir Mah Sattoki village, was sentenced to death along with his brothers Muhammad Khan and Sulaiman Bhatti for a murder and they were imprisoned in the district jail.

Yahya’s family and relatives staged a protest at the hospital, where his body was brought after his death and alleged that he died because of jail officials’ negligence. A source in the jail told Dawn kidney patient Yahya was handcuffed even when he was seriously ill. He alleged jail officials had been demanding bribe from Yahya’s family to allow his treatment, but the poor family could not arrange money for the purpose.

He said Yahya died in the jail and that his body was taken to hospital. He said all prisoners were given the same medicine for all kinds of diseases.

Jail Superintendent Farooq Lodhi denied the allegations. He said there was no doctor in the jail for the last one-and-half years and the jail staff tried their best to help the convict.

BODIES FOUND: Sarai Mughal police on Tuesday found bodies of an unidentified man and a woman in the Jaga Kalan Canal.

Police reached the scene on the report of the locals and retrieved the bodies of the man (apparently in his 50s) and the woman (in her mid 20s).

Torture marks were found on both bodies, which remained unidentified till Tuesday evening, when this report was filed. — Correspondent