01 August,2011 07:27 AM IST | | Anurag Jadli
Two inmates claim some fellow prisoners brutally beat them up at the behest of deputy superintendent. Matter in Delhi minorities commission
It's occupied by many 'celebrities' these days, but the place does have its share of problems. A group of inmates at Tihar Jail have claimed that some other prisoners, at the behest of the deputy superintendent, brutally beat them up recently. The complainant, Khalil Ahmed, has been booked under the Maharashtra Control Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for a non-bailable offence, and is in the high-risk ward of Tihar Jail. The issue has gained importance because the assaulted prisoners are accusing jail authorities of targeting them on communal lines.
Battered, not broken: Khalil Ahmed received several stitches to his
head and left hand after the alleged attack. pic/mid day
The attack
Ahmed alleged that on May 3, notorious criminal Ajay, along with a few other inmates, broke the lock of his ward, over-powered the jail staff and attacked him. Ahmed said the assailants were armed with blades and other sharp-edged weapons. His advocate Arvind Kumar told MiD DAY that a case in this regard has been registered at Hari Nagar police station.
High on risk? Tihar Jail
Akbar Khan, who has been booked for the same crime, was also allegedly attacked in the Tis Hazari lock-up on June 6. As he was seriously injured, a case of attempt to murder has been registered at Sabzi Mandi police station. Ahmed alleged Ajay was involved in this incident as well.
Cop under scanner
"Both episodes were planned and executed by Deputy Superintendent DS Rawat. Earlier, Ahmed had registered a case of religious bias against him. The weapons used to beat the victims were provided by Rawat. They have been attacked three times till now and their lives are under threat. And incidents like these keep recurring there. There are two religious lobbies among Tihar prisoners - one led by Hindus, the other by Muslims. The Hindu lobby is backed by jail authorities, especially DS Rawat. Because of him, Muslim prisoners at Tihar are constantly under threat and feel they might be eliminated at any point," said lawyer Arvind Kumar.
Ball in the 'court'
He added, "We approached the Delhi Minorities Commission in this regard. We also approached the court against the jail and Tis Hazari authorities. The court of Shri Rajneesh Kumar Gupta, additional sessions judge, disposed of the matter on July 28. But we will approach a higher court this week."
"We have accepted the case and have sent a notice to Tihar authorities. We are now waiting for a reply," said a Delhi Minorities Commission official on the condition of anonymity, since he is not authorised to speak to the media.
In fear
After former telecom minister A Raja, other high-profile Tihar prisoners including sacked Commonwealth Games OC Chairman Suresh Kalmadi have expressed fear of attack by other undertrials inside the crowded jail van during their travel for court hearings. Kalmadi's plea was given consideration by special CBI judge Talwant Singh, who directed the jail superintendents "to explore the possibility of transporting Kalmadi and others to the court on dates of hearing in a separate van and communicate its decision in this regard on July 21".
The other co-accused in the alleged bungling of Commonwealth Games funds - OC former director general VK Verma, OC former secretary general Lalit Bhanot, OC former officials M Jaychandran, Surjit Lal and ASV Prasad - also voiced similar fears before the court. Earlier, Raja, the prime accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, was wary of being transported with hardcore undertrials in the crowded jail van. He had pleaded before a special court trying the case that his remand proceedings be conducted through video-conferencing on security grounds.All the accused in the 2G scam are now brought to the court in a separate jail van.
The Other Side
u00a0"All allegations are false. Ahmed and his co-accused are notorious criminals. We had shifted them to the high security ward for the security of other inmates. Ahmed was charged under MCOCA for a non-bailable offence. Nobody wants to kill them," said Sunil Gupta, spokesperson of Tihar Jail.
