The Hindu : Normality restored in Bihar jail

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 31, 2002

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National

Normality restored in Bihar jail

By Our Staff Correspondent

PATNA MARCH 30. At least five prisoners were killed and more than two dozen persons, including the Chapra SP, injured in a shoot-out between hardened criminals and the police inside the Chapra Sub- divisional Jail.

Police swung into action after a day-long stand-off between the jail authorities and a section of the inmates led by five criminals who were refusing to be shifted to another prison. The IG (Prisons), Harjit Kaur, who rushed with para-military forces, managed to restore normality in the prison.

There were signs of violence erupting on the jail premises yesterday but police did not use force to avoid ugly scenes on the occasion of Holi as also to buy time for effective action. Besides, additional forces were to be sought to handle the situation.

The prisoners hurled bombs and threw stones at the authorities who had sought to transfer five prisoners for their alleged role in creating disturbance inside the jail and lodge them in the Buxar jail. Kundan Krishnan, SP, and 15 police personnel were injured in the attack. Police retaliated with tear gas and firing, killing at least five inmates some of whom were armed with crude bombs and pistols.

Four of those killed were to have been shifted to other prisons. One of them, Sanjay Rai, was a candidate for Chapra Municipal elections. Having pushed the inmates into their barracks, officials are carrying out a head count of the 1,200 prisoners lodged in the jail which is meant for 350 undertrials.

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