NEW DELHI: Hearing a plea by the kin of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya, who was stabbed to death allegedly by inmates belonging to a rival gang inside Tihar jail, the Delhi High Court said on Monday that the incident, which was captured on CCTV and has since gone viral on social media, was a “totally unacceptable state of affairs”.
Questioning the jail authorities over the recovery of four knives from the high-security prison premises, Justice Jasmeet Singh ordered the jail superintendent to appear before the court in person on the next date of hearing on May 25.
Justice Singh watched the video in the court and said it was seen that Tajpuriya was taken out of his cell and stabbed to death. The court said it was unable to comprehend why no action was taken by jail officials and sought to know if any of the officials have been suspended for the lapses. “This is totally an unacceptable state of affairs. The security of every prisoner is on the respondent. I am unable to gather what is happening here,” the judge said.
The HC directed additional standing counsel Rahul Tyagi, representing the State, to file an affidavit within one week through the Director General of Prisons explaining how four knives were found in prison.
“What is happening here? I am unable to get it. Can these inmates cut the bars and murder people?” the court asked while dealing with the petition moved by Tillu’s father Jagpal Singh and his brother.
Senior counsel Maninder Singh, who appeared for the petitioners, argued that his clients feared a threat to their life. The duo, in their plea, also sought an investigation by the CBI into the “murder” of Tajpuriya in the jail on May 2 and sought police protection. The HC directed Delhi Police to ensure the security of both the petitioners.
4 accused sent to 4-day police cutody
A city court on Monday sent four accused in Tillu Tajpuriya’s murder inside Tihar jail premises to
four days of police custody. Tajpuriya was attacked with improvised weapons allegedly by four members of the rival Gogi gang inside the high-security prison on May 2.
DG meets top officers of ITBP, TN police
Senior officers of ITBP and Tamil Nadu Police that are deployed in Tihar met Delhi Prisons DG Sanjay Beniwal on Monday to discuss ways to address security concerns in the wake of the killing of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside the prison premises last week, according to officials.