India, May 16 -- A convict serving a sentence in the Hoshiarpur Central Jail was shot dead outside the local Civil Hospital on Saturday. The shooting occurred after a scuffle with the police official who was escorting him back to prison following a medical examination.

The convict, Nasib Singh of Kotla Gonspur village, had been brought to the hospital for a check-up along with two undertrials. According to authorities, as the prisoners were being led back to their transport, Nasib Singh freed his hands from his handcuffs, pulled out a sharp-edged weapon, and stabbed senior constable Jasdeep Singh in a bid to escape.

"In an attempt to escape custody, the convict attacked the senior constable multiple times and tried to snatch his service...