Twelve Tihar jail officials have been suspended in three weeks for dereliction of duty and allegedly supplying prohibited items to inmates even as the prison has been rocked by a spate of violence in recent days.
In a report submitted to Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain on Thursday, Tihar officials said three assistant superintendents, three head warders and six warders have been suspended since April 21. The Minister had sought a reply from officials on increasing cases of violence inside the jail premises.
Two convicts were found dead under mysterious circumstances inside the jail on Thursday.
“Most officials who were suspended were supplying mobile phones, drugs and other prohibited items inside the jail. Some were charged with dereliction of duty as an inmate was found dead in their ward,” a senior official said.
Jail officials said they had seized 48 mobile phones from inmates in two months. They said the chances of smuggling prohibited items into the jail are the greatest when an inmate goes out for a hearing or medical treatment.
“In both cases, the prisoners are escorted by the police force on line duty. They allegedly take money from the prisoners and supply the prohibited items. Petty corruption leads to serious problems,” the official added.
According to jail officials, prisoners have used metal fan blades, wire mesh, kitchen knives and even manhole covers in the many cases of violence inside the premises.
Meanwhile, jail officials said in order to step up security at the facility, 80 more jammers are needed. However, there are issues over their installation due to complaints of network problem from residents of the area.
“There are around three dozen jammers installed inside the jail. We need 80 more. Since the jail is situated near a residential area, there are many complaints regarding network issues because of the jammers. Even TRAI guidelines state that we cannot cut access to mobile services in a residential area,” the official said. — PTI
