Govt orders probe over death of Tihar inmates in gang war

The Delhi government on Thursday ordered a probe into the fight between two groups in the Tihar Jail, in which two inmates were killed and over a dozen others injured.

“We have ordered an inquiry into the incident. We will not hesitate to take action if anyone is found guilty,” Delhi Home minister Satyendra Jain said on Thursday.

The minister said that 11,000 of the 14,000 inmates in the South Asia’s largest jail complex were under-trials.

“The Supreme Court has said that jail should be the last resort. We can’t let them (under-trial prisoners) languish in jail. I have written a letter to the Union Home ministry regarding this,” Jain said.

Meanwhile, Jain also stated on Thursday that owing to some encroachments around Mandoli Jail, its opening deadline may be delayed by at least two months.

The deadline had on several occasions been extended with the AAP government extending it to December 2015. The main motive behind opening Mandoli Jail was to reduce the burden of Tihar and Rohini jails which are already congested. Tihar has a capacity of 5,200 inmates but houses around 14,000 inmates presently. Rohini Jail has a capacity of 3,776 inmates but houses nearly 6,000 inmates.

The Mandoli Jail is supposed to have a capacity of 1,050 inmates spreading over an area of 68.4 acres.

In the last few months, several gang-wars took place inside the Tihar Jail, a major reason of which is the overcrowded condition of the jail.

Prison sources said the department wrote three letters to PWD in March, May and June - informing them about the shortcomings in the Mandoli Jail Complex. 

“We have repeatedly instructed PWD to change the locks in the barracks, install nets and heighten boundary walls, replace metal railings with concrete, put additional mask lights and CCTVs, cover the drains with wire mesh, etc. said a senior official. However, little has been done, the official added.