Date:26/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/26/stories/2007092656991600.htm

National

Security tightened in Imphal jail

Iboyaima Laithangbam

IMPHAL: Additional paramilitary personnel have been deployed at the Central Jail, Sajiwa, near here, from Tuesday morning to ensure that there is no fresh outbreak of clashes among the undertrial militants.

Official sources said Chief Minister Okram Ibobi is contemplating transfer of high officials once he got a report from the Director General of Police,Yumnam Joykumar.

On Monday night, nine undertrial militants were seriously wounded and hospitalised following group clashes.

One Myanmarese, who was one of the 15 foreigners arrested for travelling inside Manipur without visa and other travel documents, was also seriously wounded in the clashes.

Some of the jail inmates said that different undertrial militants were lodged in different wards known as sectors. Each sector was under the command of the “sector commander” selected by the jail authority.

As there were factional killings and hostile relations among some proscribed underground organisations, the undertrial militants were lodged in separate sectors.

Inmates said that often a sector commander “ill-treated” inmates of another sector, which caused animosity.

One sector commander found an inmate guilty on some charge and kept that inmate in solitary confinement for one month. There was no intervention from the jail authority.

When the inmate was released, some undertrials charged him with not informing them of his release in time. This triggered stone pelting and a clash among the inmates. The violence involved inmates of sectors I and II, the inmates said.

Much later, personnel of the 228 CRPF resorted to caning to disperse the clashing inmates.

Hospital sources said the injured inmates were out of danger.

Undertrial militants had managed to dig long tunnels and escape from the maximum security Imphal Central Jail three times.