Allahabad, June 20 (IANS) A 75-year-old inmate, serving life imprisonment, died in Naini Jail hospital here reportedly because he could not get medical attention owing to a strike by doctors on jail duty, the police said Friday. The inmate, Chimbadia, was being treated in the jail hospital for his illness. Late Thursday night his condition deteriorated. The jail authorities took Chimbadia to Beli Hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead.

The police sources said the inmate died because of boycott of work by the jail doctors, who have an ongoing tussle with the jail authorities.

The doctors had an altercation with senior jail superintendent S.K. Sharma over his alleged uncooperative attitude.

Chief medical officer Rajni Kant Gupta, however, claimed Chimbadia died a natural death in the hospital because of old age.

Gupta went to Naini Jail Friday morning and attended to nearly 35 patients in the absence of on-duty doctors.

Jail doctors Thursday claimed jail superintendent S.K.Sharma had, despite medical recommendations, refused to send Allahabad High Court lawyer S.K.Awasthi to hospital and this medical negligence had led to his death in May this year. Awasthi’s custodial death has caused a major on-going controversy in the state.