Chandigarh: A 23-year-old man from Hoshiarpur’s Miani village died in an Italian jail on June 23, two days after police detained him following allegations of inappropriate behaviour at a water park near Brescia. Italian prosecutors have ordered a post-mortem and launched an inquiry to clarify how he died in custody.
The deceased was identified as Sukhwinder Singh, also called Sonu, who had been living in Italy for almost five years and worked as an agricultural labourer, as reported by The Statesman.
According to the family, Sukhwinder had applied for political asylum and had no prior criminal record. Italian authorities arrested him after complaints that he had behaved inappropriately with minor girls at the Tibidabo Water Park.
Court remanded him to judicial custody after the complainants’ statements were recorded, the family said. They received official communication about his detention and later his death in Italian, which none of them could read. A local youth translated it into Punjabi using an AI-based translation tool before they
understood the contents.
Family Denies Charges
The family has rejected the allegations. Sukhwinder’s younger sister, Amandeep Kaur, said her brother had phoned them shortly before his arrest and insisted the matter was a misunderstanding. “He repeatedly told us that he had done nothing wrong and that the allegations against him were false,” Amandeep said, adding that he seemed mentally distressed after being taken into custody.
According to the family’s account, Sukhwinder told them his hand had accidentally touched a girl who was posing for photos with friends while he was walking through the park, which led to an argument and the police being called.
Autopsy & Probe Ordered
The family was later informed that Sukhwinder complained of feeling unwell while in jail. Prison authorities shifted him to another cell, and he died on June 23, the third day after his arrest. The precise cause of death has not been released. Prosecutors in Brescia have ordered a post-mortem and set up a special investigation to review prison logs, forensic findings and other relevant records to determine whether any procedural lapses occurred.
Father Appeals For Help
The death has devastated his family, who had borrowed almost Rs 15 lakh and pledged valuables to send him abroad. His father, Gurmeet Singh, said Sukhwinder was the family’s only son and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to ensure a fair inquiry and help repatriate his son’s body. Relatives said Sukhwinder had studied up to Class 11 and was regarded locally as religious, having served as a pathi at the village gurdwara.