MIANWALI, July 3: The City police registered a murder case against seven Central Jail officials, including deputy superintendent (jail) for allegedly torturing to death an under-trial prisoner here on Sunday.

A five-member medical board, including EDO (health) Dr Muhammad Ashraf, Dr Rana Hafeezullah and Dr Mehr Khan, got conducted the post-mortem examination the report of which was yet not revealed.

The police reportedly registered the murder case against deputy superintendent jail Muhammad Yaqub Jora, assistant superintendent jail Shan Muhammad, chief warden Mehdi Hayat and four unknown jail officials in the light of the post-mortem report.

Reports said that Muhammad Ajmal Khan, 23, involved in a theft case, was found dead in his solitary confinement cell on Sunday morning.

Upon receiving a message from the jail authorities that Ajmal had committed suicide, his relatives reached there along with the lawyers to known from insiders that he was tortured to death.

Judicial magistrate Qamar Abbas also arrived at the jail to record statements of the jail staff, who insisted that the prisoner had committed suicide on Saturday night with a handkerchief.

The situation turned volatile when jail authorities disallowed prisoners to also get their statements recorded with the magistrate. Prisoners started smashing jail property and shouted slogans against the jail staff. Seeing situation spiraling out of control, the magistrate left the jail.

The jail superintendent ordered blowing of emergency siren and aerial firing to disperse the prisoners. A large number of people gathered outside the jail after they heard firing of shots and warning bells.

This prompted the police to encircle the jail to avoid any untoward incident. Knowing about the wrong done by the police, the people gathered outside the jail blocked the Mianwali-Rawalpindi Road for couple of hours.

DPO Malik Tassadduq Hayat forced to seek help from relatives of the deceased to get the traffic restored on the assurance that statements of prisoners would be recorded.

Muhammad Iqbal Khan advocate said the prisoners, who later recorded their statements in the presence of the local police, told the magistrate that torture by jail authorities caused the death of the under-trial prisoner.

Aamir Khan said his deceased brother, who was presented before court on July 31, informed him that jail officials were subjecting him to torture.

He said his brother had also told him that jail officials demanded heavy bribe for his release.