Prisoners likely to be reshuffled across jail wards: Tihar officials in Delhi

A senior Tihar official said it has been decided to put members of different gangs in separate jails or at least different wards to prevent gang violence.

A day after gangster Tillu Tajpuria was murdered in a high-security ward at Delhi’s Tihar Jail, prison officials said that they were checking dossiers of criminals in order to classify them on the basis of their affiliation to different gangs, and lodge separately to prevent violence, senior officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday.

Security personnel stand guard outside at a gate of Tihar Jail. (PTI) (HT_PRINT)

Read here: Attack on gangster Tillu Tajpuria continued in presence of Tihar jail staff in Delhi

A senior Tihar official, who asked not to be named, said it has been decided to put members of different gangs in separate jails or at least different wards to prevent gang violence. Four members of Jitender Gogi gang Tillu Tajpuria to death in Jail number 8 of Tihar prisons ostensibly to take revenge for Gogi’s murder inside a courtroom in Rohini District Court complex in September 2021. Both Tillu and the assailants had been lodged in the same ward on two separate floors. HT had reported that Tillu allegedly planned Gogi’s murder and took live updates on a mobile phone from his jail cell.

“We started checking dossiers of at least 7,000 inmates to classify them on the basis of their affiliation with different gangs. Since we have seven jails for men and around 15 high-security wards, it will be a tough task to allot separate jails or wards to members of different gangs. To minimise the chances of clashes, they will now be kept in separate wards. If needed, we will shift gangsters to jails in Rohini and Mandoli. Security measures will also be enhanced in wards,” the said an officer, asking not to be named.

He also added officials have been deployed to check the live feed from CCTV cameras installed across the jail. “Earlier, we used to monitor it twice a day. But now, the dedicated staff will keep a round-the-clock vigil on the video footage,” the official added.

A second official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against jail officials who were on duty in jail number 8, when the murder took place on Tuesday. “These officials have been asked to provide the details of their response time, and to explain the reasons for the delay, if any. The jail administration has also issued a show cause notice to these officials to explain why they did not intervene at the time when Tillu was stabbed inside his jail cell,” he said.

Read here: Tihar killing exposes glaring safety lapses

The second official also said that all four suspects have been shifted to separate wards in other jails. “It has been done due to security reasons as after this incident, the rival gang members may attack them. We have asked the officials not to permit any inmate to go near the construction site in their jails as we have inputs that they may steal iron rods or stone chips to be later used as a weapon,” he said.