The former Gujarat Bajrang Dal president, Babu Bajrangi, recently sentenced to life imprisonment “till death” in the 2002 Naroda-Patiya massacre case, was assaulted in the Sabarmati jail dispensary here on Tuesday by some accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blast cases. Jail sources said the incident took place when Mr. Bajrangi was brought to the dispensary for a medical check-up. Four persons,, all said to be members of the Indian Mujahideen and housed in the same jail, were in the dispensary when Mr. Bajrangi was brought there. They pounced on him, but he escaped with minor injuries. The jail security staff quickly removed him from the scene.
Additional Director-General of Police (Jails) P.C. Thakur, however, disagreed there was any “physical violence” in the jail and claimed that there were only serious “verbal altercations” between the blasts accused, who were still facing trial, and Mr. Bajrangi, before he was whisked away.
“We are aware of the security threats to Mr. Bajrangi and the others accused of serious crimes, and we make full security arrangements every time before any of them is brought out of the barracks,” he claimed.
The jail authorities have ordered an investigation.
