Female UT prisoner dies by suicide in Kishanganj jail

Patna: A 48-year-old woman undertrial lodged in Kishanganj divisional jail died by suicide early Wednesday after allegedly hanging herself in the women’s ward restroom.The deceased, Usha Rani, wife of Ajay Prasad Sinha and a resident of the Kochadhaman police station area, was found hanging with a scarf. Jail staff brought her down and rushed her to Sadar hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.According to jail officials, a female staffer noticed that Usha had not returned from the restroom around 3am and found her hanging inside. The staff alerted senior officials, following which jail superintendent Dharmendra Kumar, the jail doctor and other personnel reached the spot and shifted her to hospital. Officials said she still had a pulse when brought down but could not be revived.Usha had been in judicial custody since Feb 2, 2026, in connection with a dowry death case registered at Kochadhaman police station.The jail superintendent said she had been under mental stress and depression and had earlier received treatment at Sadar hospital and MGM Medical College. “Her condition was being monitored regularly by the jail administration,” he said.A postmortem examination was conducted in the presence of a female magistrate. Police have informed the family and initiated an investigation. Officials said further action will be taken based on the postmortem report and other findings.