Security of Pakistan, Kashmir inmates in Tihar tightened

NEW DELHI: Security of Pakistani prisoners lodged in Tihar Jail was reviewed after a Pakistani inmate died during a brawl in a Jaipur prison. The inamates, lodged in high-security wards, are being monitored and kept away from the others. Security of prisoners from Kashmir, too, has been intensified in the wake of the incident.

Tihar spokesperson AIG Raj Kumar said that the threat perception of these prisoners was analysed, after which the timings at which they would be allowed to step out of their wards is being synchronised with the others. “We will ensure that there are no instances of people coming in conflict with each other, since petty arguments often spark into something worse,” said Kumar.

According to the officials, about 35 prisoners are from Pakistan, while around 45 are from Kashmir who were arrested in terror-related cases. As a rule, these inmates are treated as high security prisoners and kept in different wards.

During a recent meeting, Tihar officials instructed the guards to ensure that the inmates from the high-security jails allowed to leave their wards only after the other prisoners return to their own wards. They are also to remain around their own ward.

Last year, a group of prisoners lodged in a jail in Jammu and Kashmir were shifted to the Tihar Jail for better security.

The prisoners are also regularly counselled from engaging with verbal discourses with the other inmates. “We have appealed to everyone, asking them to maintain peace inside the jail premises,” said a jail official. Jail sources said that initially, the inmates used to protest about being released late from the ward during their recreation times, but they too were later counselled to keep calm.

CCTV cameras around these wards are also being monitored throughout the day and the warders have been put on a high alert to break up any instances that might lead to a fight.