Court calls assault inside jail van a ‘serious security issue’

The van in which the attack took place. Police said the two men were eliminated by Bawana (right) as he wanted to take revenge for the murder of a close associate. (Source: Express Photo)

Raising concerns over incidents of undertrials assaulting each other in jail vans, a Delhi court has stated that such incidents are a “serious security issue”. The observation of the court has come in relation to a 2012 case, where the convict had assaulted fellow prisoners in the jail van.

The sessions court refused to show leniency to the convict Bharat Yadav, on the quantum of punishment granted by the trial court, and upheld his two-year jail term. The court stated he deserved substantial punishment as he not only picked up a quarrel with fellow prisoners in the van but also injured them with a surgical blade. Yadav’s counsel had sought a lenient view for his client, saying that he had already been acquitted in the murder case for which he was arrested. “It is also proved that the accused had not only picked up a quarrel with the co-undertrial prisoners (UTPs) while travelling in the jail van but he also inflicted injury by the means of a surgical blade… It is also proved that appellant (Yadav) was carrying the blade while travelling in the jail van.

Such type of incidents raise serious security issue qua (in the capacity of) the UTPs travelling in the jail van, thus to my mind appellant deserves some substantial punishment,” Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Jain said.

The incident took place on March 5, 2012, when UTP and complainant Israr, along with others, was being taken to Rohini court from Tihar Jail in the prison van. On the way, Yadav picked up a quarrel with Israr and on raising an objection, he was assaulted with a surgical blade which Yadav had concealed in his mouth, police said.