More than 1,500 prisoners lodged in different jails across the country have lost their lives, including 60 women inmates.
According to a data by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), out of the total of 1,527 deaths between 2008-'09, 1,467 were men.
A highest of 287 deaths have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, 133 from Bihar and 131 from Andhra Pradesh, the data said. Jails in Maharashtra have reported 124 deaths, followed by 98 in West Bengal and 86 in Madhya Pradesh.
A total of 74 deaths have been reported in Gujarat, 72 in Karnataka, 70 in Punjab and 69 from Tamil Nadu, the data said.
Officials said more than 90% of them were natural deaths. "The main reasons for the remaining deaths were suicide, murder by inmate, assault by outside elements, death due to firing and negligence by jail personnel," a home ministry official said.
A total of 1,787 deaths, including 1,735 male and 52 women, were reported during 2007-'08. While in 2006-'07, 1,443 men and 34 women lost their lives inside the prisons.
