Ram Singh's death a major lapse: Shinde
New Delhi, Mar 11 : Hours after the prime accused in the Delhi gangrape case Ram Singh committed suicide in Delhi's Tihar Jail, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde admitted that there was a 'major security lapse' and said the preliminary reports suggested the accused committed suicide.
"I agree it is a major lapse," Shinde said while addressing a press conference here.
"Preliminary reports suggest Ram Singh committed suicide," he said.
"Magisterial inquiry has been ordered and truth will come out in the report.... Can't come to any conclusions before inquiry report is out," Shinde said.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit earlier in the day met Shinde and said a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the matter.
"A magisterial inquiry has already been ordered," Dikshit told reporters.
"It will be difficult to comment on the issue till the report comes," she said.
Ram Singh, who was the driver of the bus inside which the Delhi Braveheart was assaulted, committed suicide by hanging himself in Delhi's Tihar Jail on Monday, sparking yet another debate on what kind of vigilance is being kept on such criminals inside India's most famous and high security prison.
He was found hanging inside jail number 3 at around 5 pm, officials said. He has allegedly hanged himself with his own clothes.
Singh was taken to a jail hospital where he was declared brought dead.
His body was later sent to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital here for a post-mortem examination.
According to reports, a three-member team has been formed to conduct his post-mortem.
Singh and four accused in the case were charged with murder, gangrape, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy, dacoity, unnatural sex and common intent in the case.
Incidently, it was Singh's idea to take the school bus on Dec 16 night for the "joy ride", while his brother Mukesh was driving the vehicle.
The trial of the sixth accused, who is a minor, began last week.
On Dec 16, six people gangraped and brutalised the 23-year-old Delhi Braveheart or Nirbhaya with an iron rod on a moving bus in New Delhi. The victim succumbed to her injuries at a Singapore hospital on Dec 29.
The incident triggered nationwide outrage against rising cases of crime against women in India with people pouring into the streets of New Delhi for days and demanding a change of law and strict punishment of the accused.