Inmate stabbed to death in Patna jail

According to jail officials, the accused procured the scissors from the jail since face masks are currently being made in the campus as a part of jail activity.

A 20-year-old undertrial was allegedly stabbed to death by an inmate inside the Phulwarisharif District Jail in Patna on Monday morning, police said.

Inmates alleged that the murder was committed in a planned manner and jail officials were a part of it. (Representational image)

The deceased, identified as Tuntun Rai, was lodged in the jail since September this year with charges of murder, motorcycle theft and liquor smuggling. “Around 9.30 am, jail administration was informed about the undertrial being attacked by an inmate identified as Mohammad Munna following a quarrel. The prisoner was rushed to Patna Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead around 12.30pm”, said jail Superintendent Lal Babu Singh.

On the other hand, victim’s father Topan Rai claimed that he got the information about the incident around 11am from a visitor. “I got the information about the attack around 11am from a visitor who had gone to meet his kin. I was informed that my son has been stabbed and rushed to hospital,” said Rai while speaking to the media.

IG (Prison) Mithilesh Mishra, who visited the spot, told HT that the accused inmate has been booked for murder. “Twenty-one-year-old Munna, a butcher by profession, is lodged in jail since 2019 for the murder of his cousin”, said the IG, adding that the accused had used a scissor to commit the crime. The attack was the fallout of an argument that had taken place between the two some time ago, he said.

According to jail officials, the accused procured the scissors from the jail since face masks are currently being made in the campus as a part of jail activity.

Inmates alleged that the murder was committed in a planned manner and jail officials were a part of it. According to them, Tuntun was attacked with a sharp object when he was on way to his barrack from the canteen. After the incident, when the injured inmate was rushed to the jail hospital, they found doctors were absent. “The jail inmates told me that he was stabbed at 9 am and had he had to be rushed to a hospital as there was no doctor in jail,” said the father of the deceased.

On January 3, 2020, an undertrial prisoner-cum-gold robber Manish Singh alias Telia alias Netaji was shot dead inside the Vaishali jail after which several inmates had alleged that the jail superintendent was hand in glove with criminals and even helped them execute the murder. Later a jail staff Rajkumar Sahni was arrested on charges for smuggling a loaded 9mm pistol inside the jail while police recovered ₹2 lakh cash from his almirah, which he allegedly received as a bribe.