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In a shocking incident at the central jail in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, a convicted inmate reportedly jumped into the furnace of a biomass-based gasifier plant, leading to his death. Authorities have announced a judicial inquiry into the matter.

Officials revealed that the inmate, identified as Rahul, also known as Vikesh Kanwar, was serving a life sentence for a double murder case since 2016. This incident marks the fifth death of an inmate in the central jail within the last month and a half. According to a jail officer, Kanwar, aged 46 and a resident of Bamhanidih in Janjgir-Champa district, suddenly ran towards the operational gasifier plant connected to the jail's kitchen on Wednesday evening and jumped in.

By the time jail staff and fellow inmates managed to pull him out, he had suffered severe burns and succumbed to his injuries. Following the incident, Bilaspur's District Magistrate Sanjay Agrawal, Senior Superintendent of Police Rajnesh Singh, and senior jail officials rushed to the central jail. A police team along with forensic experts conducted an inspection of the scene and collected evidence.

Initial investigations suggest that the case appears to be a suicide. However, to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding the death, a judicial magistrate has been ordered to conduct an inquiry. Both the police and jail administration are carrying out a thorough investigation into the incident.

According to officials, this is the fifth case of an inmate's death in Bilaspur Central Jail in the past month and a half. Notably, on June 23, a convicted inmate murdered another inmate within the jail premises, followed by three other inmates who died due to illness and accidental injuries.