Photo: PTI

IN ACTION: A policeman enters the district jail in Meerut on Friday to control the inmates, who attacked a visiting Agra police team that had come for an inspection.

LUCKNOW : Inmates of the Meerut Central jail indulged in violence and brickbatting in protest against an inspection by M.L. Prakash, DIG (Jail), Agra, on Friday. Seven employees were injured in stone throwing by the inmates, who were also alleged to have fired several rounds in the air from weapons smuggled into the jail.

The police have control of the jail. The DIG lodged a first information report and the Uttar Pradesh Government has ordered an inquiry by the additional divisional magistrate (city) of Meerut.

EC order

The DIG's inspection followed an Election Commission order that surprise checks be held in all jails in poll-bound State to flush out mobile phones and ensure strict adherence to Jail Manual instructions on visitors.

Connivance

Friday's incident was masterminded allegedly by some undertrials in connivance with a few jail officials.

Home Secretary R. M. Srivastava told newspersons that the checking started around 6.30 a.m. and everything was normal until the inspection team reached barracks 11 and 12, which were left unlocked and the inmates, taking advantage of the situation, came out. They resorted to heavy brickbatting. But the police and jail employees brought the situation under control.

After police arrival, all barracks were thoroughly checked.

VIP treatment

On March 26 last, a raiding party seized a country-made pistol, four cartridges and a couple of mobile phones from a barrack in the Naini Central jail in Allahabad. The inspection team also found that VIP treatment was being given to an undertrial Chhuttan Giri and a convict Kamlesh Singh. A television set and some household materials were found in another barrack. Deputy Jailors Ram Singh Chauhan and Rajesh Kumar Maurya, were placed under suspension following the inspection.

Earlier on March 23, eighteen persons, including three women, were arrested for visiting the Ghazipur Central Jail in violation of the manual norms. This was found during an inspection by the Ghazipur district magistrate and the SSP. The visitors were said to be close to an interned MLA. A case was registered with the Ghazipur Kotwali. The women were later released.

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