Inmate stabbed after fight breaks out in Tihar Jail; sixth incident in 3 months

On the incident, Director General (Delhi Prisons) Sandeep Goel said: “On December 10, two inmates were getting a haircut when they suddenly attacked a third inmate using the barber’s scissors. During the scuffle, two of them sustained injuries. They were immediately separated by jail staff. The injuries were not serious. They were sent to DDU hospital for treatment and were discharged the same day.”

DCP (West) Urvija Goel said, “We received Yogesh’s medico-legal report from the hospital. He is an inmate at Central Jail 8 of Tihar. He was assaulted by another inmate but didn’t want to file a complaint. We spoke to jail authorities and are taking legal action.”

Police claimed jail authorities haven’t been able to put in place “adequate arrangements” to protect prison staff and inmates. “We aren’t sure of the exact reason behind (Friday’s) fight but have recorded statements of jail staff. There is definitely a need to beef up security arrangements inside Tihar,” said a senior police officer from West district.

Last week, jail authorities installed more than 7,000 CCTVs, two body X-ray scanners, three mobile network jammers, walkie-talkie sets for jail staff to enhance security and prevent the use of phones inside Tihar.

This came after the Supreme Court slammed jail authorities saying there is an “urgent need for prison reforms and enhanced prison management”.