Foreign inmates turn violent, attempt Tihar jail break

NEW DELHI: The Tihar Jail authorites have informed the Delhi High Court on Monday that that "some foreign prisoners forced their way out of the ward and also damaged the locks of gates"

"On 16.06.2020 morning, 15-20 foreign inmates created problem in the jail. They forced their way out of the ward and also damaged the locks of gates of Ward No. 9 and Chakkar.

"Sensing trouble and having no other alternative, Alarm was sounded in the jail at around 8.30 a.m., reinforcements called and these inmates were physically controlled by minimum use of force," the jail authorities said in a status report filed before a single judge bench of the high court presided by Justice C. Harishankar.

This comes days after Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal, who is currently in judicial custody in the Tihar Jail in a case relating to Delhi riots, told the Court that the video conferencing facility in jail was suspended after "large scale violence" took place.

"In the process, 15 inmates and 10 jail staff have suffered minor injuries. They have been given treatment in the jail dispensary by the jail doctors. Punishment as per jail rules will be made against the defaulting inmates," Tihar said in its response.

A day before the incident took place, some of foreign inmates came to the Deodhi of the jail in the morning on some pretext and refused to leave till late evening, despite repeated counseling/persuasion by the jail officers. Since the jail has to be locked up in the evening, they had to be physically removed to different cells in the jail by the jail staff where they were locked.

The jail authorities told the court that foreign inmates of Cental Jail no. 6 in Tihar Complex, have been agitating for some time demanding that they should also be considered for grant of interim bail. Jail Authorities have been consistently counseling them and briefing them that their cases are not falling under the prescribed criteria for consideration of grant of interim bail. (IANS)

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