After Covid relief in 2020 and 2021, 6K prisoners yet to return to Delhi jails

While at least 2,200 have been declared as fugitives -- police have also announced reward for their arrest -- the remaining released prisoners are yet to get a date for their surrender.

Even as the Covid-19 restrictions in the Capital have mostly been lifted, including in jails, around 6,000 prisoners, who were released as part of measures to decongest Delhi’s three prisons during the Covid waves in 2020 and 2021, are yet to return to serve their remaining sentences.

Currently, there is not a single Covid-19 positive case among the around 18,000 prisoners in the three Delhi jails -- Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini. (HT Archive)

While at least 2,200 have been declared as fugitives -- police have also announced reward for their arrest -- the remaining released prisoners are yet to get a date for their surrender.

Currently, there is not a single Covid-19 positive case among the around 18,000 prisoners in the three Delhi jails -- Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini.

“During the first wave of pandemic, over 6,000 prisoners were released on interim bail or emergency parole. They were asked to surrender in February-March 2021 but around 2,400 did not surrender. They were declared as fugitives. Their names were shared with the Delhi Police and they are being arrested regularly,” said a jail official, who asked not to be named.

At least 10 prisoners have died of the Covid-19 infection till date.

“In February-March 2021, just weeks after the surrender process began, the second wave of the infection hit Delhi. So 5,103 prisoners were released in April-May 2021. These prisoners will be asked to surrender only after the Supreme Court gives the order. So, legally these 5,103 cannot be called fugitives. If over 2,400 did not surrender the first time, it would be worth seeing how many surrender this time,” said the official.

On July 16, 2021, in the backdrop of increasing Covid-19 cases across the country during the punishing second wave of the infection, the Supreme Court ordered that prisoners who were released during the second wave would not be asked to surrender until its further orders. The apex court is yet to issue the order calling for the prisoners to return, said officials.

At least 10 prisoners have died of the Covid-19 infection till date. Among those who died of the infection was former Bihar gangster turned politician Mohammed Shahabuddin. Underworld don Chhota Rajan had also caught the infection but recovered after treatment at AIIMS. Till date, at least 521 prisoners and 534 prison employees tested positive for the infection.

Collectively the three prison complexes -- it comes under the administrative jurisdiction of Tihar jail -- holds around 18,000 prisoners. This makes Tihar prisons the most populated prison complex across the city.

Meanwhile, there have been several cases of released prisoners being caught for committing crimes.

On Tuesday, an inmate, Darshan Dabas, who had come out on parole in 2020 and was later declared a fugitive, was arrested for allegedly murdering a man in Najafgarh on September 9, 2021. Dabas allegedly fired 15 bullets at the man, killing him on the spot.

Days before, police caught another fugitive, Ishwar Singh, from Andheria Mor with over 100kg of marijuana on March 11.

Delhi police officers said that many police teams are on the lookout for such fugitives. “Once the Supreme Court orders their surrender, we will get a clearer picture of how many do not surrender. Their names too will be added to the list,” said a mid-level crime branch officer, who asked not to be named.