Stricter vigil at Tihar after 4th inmate dies within fortnight

Tihar Jail authorities have stepped up security at the facility and intensified frisking and other precautionary measures following the death of a fourth inmate within a fortnight at the prison. A prisoner in the special security ward died after he was attacked yesterday with a sharp weapon by a fellow inmate. The fatal attack by Promod on Salman in Cell No.5 led to the fourth case of death at Tihar in a fortnight and has now resulted in heightened vigil at the facility.

Two suicides and an accidental death have been reported at the jail over the last two weeks. Taking a serious view of the matter, Director General, Delhi Prisons, Alok Verma, has ordered a high-level inquiry into the causes behind the lapses leading to such incidents. Jail sources said that Salman and Promod had got into a fight on the day before the fatal attack and had inflicted serious injuries on each other following which both were sent to the DDU hospital for treatment.

Salman had been thereafter shifted from Cell No.5 of Block A to Cell No.5 of Block B and the matter was reported at Hari Nagar police station. Jail administration said that a disagreement over the usage of toothpaste had led to the fight between the duo, both of them habitual offenders who were lodged in the special security ward. Sources said that Promod yesterday scaled the wall of his block into the common area and attacked Salman using an improvised knife. The injured Salman was taken to the jail dispensary and then to DDU hospital, where he was declared dead. DIG, Delhi Prisons, Mukesh Prasad, meanwhile, said that various sporting activities, cultural programmes and an initiative called 'Gumsum Punja' have been taken up to identify suicidal tendencies among inmates and help them come out of depression through counselling.