The violent ruckus, which left two inmates injured, broke out at 9 pm Thursday, and the jail superintendent informed the police.
More than 400 prisoners allegedly went rampaging on Thursday night inside the high-security Srinagar Central Jail, detonating cooking gas cylinders, setting barracks afire, damaging security cameras and ransacking property in a bid to break free.
The violent ruckus, which left two inmates injured, broke out at 9 pm Thursday, and the jail superintendent informed the police.
The chaos started when the inmates resisted the jail administration's move to restore the barracks which have been running to seed for a while.
The situation turned volatile when over 400 inmates from 10 barracks in the central area of the jail broke open the internal gates and gathered to damage the entry points in an attempt to escape.
"The inmates gathered LPG cylinders from the mess and triggered four blasts near the gate and in the corners to break the security grid. They also targeted officers, security personnel and vehicles by pelting stones picked up from the construction material dumped inside the jail for the ongoing work. Fire tenders were pressed into action to contain the blaze and disperse the crowd," said a Srinagar district administration spokesperson.
The disruptive clashes continued through the night and senior officers struggled to contain the situation. Loudspeaker announcements to maintain order were drowned in the fracas.
By early morning, a dozen teams including the police, a CRPF component, jail staff and magistrates had moved into the prison premises to intervene, but the mob didn't relent.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shahid Iqbal Choudhary then held deliberations with representatives of the inmates over a host of issues in the presence of DIG Central Kashmir, DIG CRPF, SSP Srinagar and other senior officers.
"The inmates were given to understand that no issues could be heard and redressed in the backdrop of such massive violence and attacks which had the potential to cause fatalities," said the spokesman. "Stating that a conducive atmosphere was required to ascertain the factors involved in this exceptional violence, the DC asked the inmates to move to into barracks."
The spokesman clarified that certain pictures circulated on social media indicating desecration inside the jail were bogus, and that the issues raised by the inmates were being addressed, though such a ferocious mob attack could not be condoned.
The police have lodged an FIR and the DC, who inspected the damage, is conducting a probe to establish the sequence of events leading up to the violence.
The state government is also examining the matter.
Restrictions were imposed in parts of old Srinagar city and mobile data was suspended as a precautionary measure.
Jailbreak Bid
- Inmates set alight barracks, pelted stones and damaged security equipment
- Violence continued throughout the night, till Fri morning when DCP managed to hold talks with inmates to address their issues
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 "Srinagar Central Jail")
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