To avoid recovery of hidden mobile, Tihar prisoners inflict self injuries
New Delhi: The officers posted in Tihar Jail have been accused of torturing prisoners. It has been alleged that some assistant superintendents (AS) posted in Central Jail no. 8 and 9 brutally tortured some of the inmates on Wednesday.
However, the officials said the inmates self-injured themselves during the search operation that was conducted on Wednesday evening.
“A search operation was conducted in one of the wards of Central Jail 8 and 9 (Tihar Jail) based on confidential information regarding unauthorised mobile phone usage on Wednesday. The search, which took place between 5.20 pm and 5.50 pm, resulted in the recovery of a keypad mobile phone and an improvised weapon known as ‘sua’”, the jail officials said on Thursday.
Sanjay Beniwal, Director General (Delhi Prisons) said, following this discovery, the Jail CCTV control room observed unusual movement among the inmates in the affected barracks. In response, a thorough inquiry was conducted, leading to the recovery of a SIM card and an improvised mobile charger. The investigation aimed to uncover any further unauthorised communication devices within the premises.
During the questioning, another inmate voluntarily admitted to possessing an additional keypad mobile phone. In an attempt to recover the hidden-phone, the inmate was escorted by staff from the control room to the barrack. However, upon arrival, the inmate was incited by co-inmates present at the scene to resist handing over the mobile phone to the prison administration. In a regrettable turn of events, a group of inmates began verbally abusing the jail staff, while over 20 individuals resorted to self-injury as a means to
intimidate the administration and obstruct the recovery of the hidden mobile
phone, Beniwal mentioned.
Adding further they said, amidst the ensuing commotion, one inmate successfully retrieved the concealed mobile phone and utilised it to contact his family members. Subsequently, his family reported the alleged mistreatment of inmates by the jail staff to PCR-112, prompting a response from the authorities.
The additional staff present at the control room (known as “chakkar”) promptly responded to the situation, swiftly bringing it under control and ensuring the safety of all individuals involved. Injured inmates received immediate medical attention for self-inflicted injuries within the jail dispensary. Regrettably, four inmates sustained deep cuts during the act of self-injury and were subsequently transferred to DDU Hospital for further treatment, the official said.
A subsequent review of the CCTV recordings during the commotion led to the recovery of the hidden mobile phone at approximately 10:30 pm. The phone had been used by one of the inmates to make contact with his family members.
The modus operandi employed by the inmates to intimidate the jail administration through self-inflicted injuries has been recorded and preserved in the CCTV footage, Beniwal confirmed.
A formal complaint regarding the incident has already been registered at the Hari Nagar police station. The authorities are taking further action under the Delhi Prison Rules against the inmates involved in the incident, DG Prisons added.
Earlier, seven incidents of murder including gangster Ankit Gurjar in 2021 and the recent murder of infamous gangster Tillu Tajpuria have been reported in the past couple of years in Asia’s ‘safest’ Tihar Jail. Most of the killings were carried out by rival gangs. In Tillu Tajpuria’s murder, some CCTV footage had also come to the shore showing the brutal murder of the gangsters.
