Magisterial inquiry to probe deaths
The Delhi government on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry to probe the deaths of two undertrials, both in their late 20s, in the high- security Tihar Jail on Wednesday and also sought a detailed report from the prison administration.
According to the Delhi government, Tihar Jail, which has a capacity of 6,250 prisoners, is overburdened as 14,285 prisoners and undertrials are lodged till June 30 this year and out of which 10,800 are undertrials.
“We have ordered a magisterial inquiry to probe the incident. In Tihar, 70 per cent prisoners are undertrials due to which the jail is overburdened,” Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain told reporters here.
A senior government official said that the Kejriwal government has also sought a detailed report over the incident from the Tihar Jail administration.
Mr Jain on Thursday also held a meeting with senior officials of the Tihar Jail and discussed the security arrangements.
On Wednesday, a clash that broke out between two groups of prisoners in the high- security jail which left two undertrials dead and six others injured.
The three inmates of high- security ward of Jail number 1 of Tihar —
On Wednesday, a clash that broke out between two groups of prisoners left two undertrials dead
Ishwar, Vijay and Shadab were being taken back to their ward from the jail dispensary when they were attacked by three other prisoners — Anil, Vasu and Sandeep.
Anil was rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he succumbed to the injuries on Wednesday evening, said Mukesh Prasad, additional inspector- general of Tihar. The other prisoner, Ishwar, was rushed to the DDU Hospital where he was operated upon but could not be saved. The injured were treated at the jail hospital.
Ishwar was being tried for attempt to murder, multiple cases of snatching and robbery, and Anil was charged with at least four robberies and the duo apparently had a longstanding rivalry that took a deadly turn. Ishwar had been in and out of prison several times since 2007 and Anil had been lodged in Tihar since 2012.
The other prisoners involved in the clash have multiple criminal cases against them, the officials said. The incident, in which several prisoners and police personnel were also injured, comes barely a month after two rival gang leaders were involved in a clash in a moving police van.