Prisoners run amok in Fatehgarh jail, one dead, 30 cops injured
Prisoner’s death due to dengue triggers violence, inquiry ordered
KANPUR : A prisoner died and 30 policemen were injured in violence as prisoners took control of the Fatehpur jail in Farrukhabad district for several hours on Sunday after the death of a fellow jail inmate due to dengue the previous night, according to officials.
It was alleged that the prisoner killed in the violence had died in police firing. However, the police have denied firing.
The prisoners set the jail hospital on fire and pelted the jail staff and the police with stones, officials said.
Additional director general of police (Kanpur zone) Bhanu Bhaskar said the violence would be probed by DIG (headquarters) VP Tripathi.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into deaths of the two inmates, including that of convict Sandip Yadav, who succumbed to dengue, triggering the violence.
Fatehgarh senior superintendent of police Ashok Meena said the inmates resorted to violence and arson unprovoked. The police were identifying the troublemakers and would initiate stern action, he said.
Denying any firing inside the jail, he said people, however, heard some loud sounds. One inmate has died and 30 policemen were injured, he said.
“It is not clear yet how the inmate died, it will be investigated,” he said.
District magistrate Sanjay Kumar said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The damage to the jail property was being assessed and stern action would be taken against those responsible for the violence, he added. The situation was controlled in time by the police and security has further been beefed up, he said.
The authorities suspect the violence was a cover for a jailbreak and inmates tried to bring down the main gate. Certain top criminals lodged in the jail are said to have instigated this violence.
Sandip had died in the district hospital on Saturday night.
Alleging that he was not treated properly and sent to
hospital belatedly, his family created a ruckus in his hometown Saifai in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.
The news of Sandip’s death angered the inmates inside the jail. As they were asked to come out of their barracks at 7am, the inmates went berserk. They first held a jail warden captive and assaulted him. Eyewitnesses told the authorities that two deputy jailers Ashish Kumar and Shailesh Sonkar, who were trying to pacify the prisoners, were also taken captive and beaten up.
Within an hour, the prisoners were in control of the entire jail.
As the situation went out of control, the Farrukhabad police were informed around 10am. Three circle officers were sent with heavy police contingent to control the situation. Owing to heavy brick batting from the rooftops, the police teams could not reach the main gates for an hour.
The police had to fire teargas shells to make their way into the jail and take strategic positions. The police allegedly resorted to firing and lathi-charge to disperse the inmates, who were unrelenting.
One inmate identified as Shivam was allegedly hit by a bullet. He was rushed to Saifai where he was declared dead on arrival.
The 30 policemen injured in the violence were admitted in different hospitals.
Apart from Sandip’s death, the inmates were said to be angry with the jail administration over other issues. During talks with the officials, they said jail administration did not open barrack doors on Diwali and, as a result, they could not greet one another. Nor were they given quality food, which is provided to them every year during the festival, they claimed.