In a bid to break free, 11 Tihar prisoners injure themselves

As many as 11 prisoners, all of whom have been defaulters placed in high security ward in jail number 3 of Tihar were injured after they banged their heads on the bars on Thursday night.

It started at around 9:30 pm when a prisoner complained of stomach pain and called for a doctor. The doctor visited him and gave him some pills after diagnosis. After treatment, the inmate insisted that he should be shifted out. Trouble broke out when his demand was refused by the jail authorities.

According to the latter, the prisoners got aggressive and started banging their heads on the walls and bars of the jail, injuring themselves. They wanted to be shifted out of the ward to normal wards of jail number three.

'Kasoori' ward houses those inmates who have flouted jail rules and are considered defaulters. Most of the time it is considered to be a punishment lodging.

Soon after, the jail authorities and staff rushed in and took 11 inmates out of 17 lodged in that ward to the jail dispensary for treatment.

"We rushed the injured inmates to the jail dispensary first. However, as they had banged their heads, we decided to send them to Deen Dayal Upadhayay hospital for scans to rule out any grievous injury," said a senior jail official.

As the prisoners were shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhayay hospital in an ambulance, they even damaged the ambulance from inside raising suspicion that it could have been a plot to escape.

Security has been beefed up in the 'kasoori' ward after the incident and the inmates are under constant vigil.

"We have received a complaint from Tihar authorities and a criminal case is being registered in the matter under Sections 186, 353, 355 and 34 of the IPC and 3 of PDPP Act," said DCP West Vijay Kumar.