A major scuffle broke out inside the high-security Tihar jail on Wednesday leaving two inmates dead and four others injured. At least eight prison staff members also sustained injuries while trying to break the fight.
The incident happened when three prisoners assaulted another under-trial prisoner while he was being escorted to a high-security ward after receiving medical treatment at the jail dispensary.
Even as two prison staff escorting Ishwar tried to intervene, the commotion drew more prisoners to the spot as they too joined the battle. Only when several jail staff members and Tamil Nadu Special Police personnel arrived at the scene that the situation was brought under control.
A prison official said that three prisoners, identified as Ishwar aka Sippy, Vijay and Shadab, of high security ward were brought to jail dispensary for medical treatment. At 2 pm, they were being taken back to the high-security ward with escort party of Tamil Nadu Special Police and prison officials when three prisoners pounced on Ishwar from behind and started assaulting him with hand-made weapons. The assailants have been identified as Anil, Vasu aka Bunti and Sandeep.
While the staff tried to intervene, Ishwar ran towards ward no 4 to protect himself. The three assailants chased him and overpowered him on the road and inflicted injuries on him while shouting and abusing him, said Additional IG (Prisons) Mukesh Prasad.
“However, somehow the staff intervened and saved Ishwar from their clutches. The three assailants were shouting and abusing and they had also inflicted self injuries on themselves,” said Prasad.
While the prison officials were trying to bring the situation under control, some prisoners who sympathised with injured Ishwar and others who sympathised with the assailants also assaulted each other.
“The injured inmate was immediately taken to OPD. The injured has been admitted in DDU hospital,” said Prasad.