Prison inmates clash with cops

MUMBAI: More than 30 inmates accused in cases such as the 7/11 train bombings, Malegaon blast and Aurangabad arms haul on Saturday clashed with policemen posted at the Arthur Road jail over their transfer to other prisons.

Reliable sources said the jail authorities last week decided to shift 33 inmates to jails in Kolhapur, Nagpur, Kalyan, Ratnagiri and other places as the Arthur Road prison was overcrowded and hearing of most of their cases came after a month.

"When the accused heard about their transfer, they got furious and gathered in the compound after breakfast. They refused to go to the other jails and clashed with the police," said a jail source.

When some constables were asked to take the inmates outside where police vans were waiting, a few inmates allegedly attacked the personnel.

"It caused havoc and the cops on duty tried to control them. While no one was injured, it created a law and order problem. The situation was brought under control soon," said a source.

The Arthur Road jail, which has a capacity of 804, currently houses 2,700 inmates. The jail has seen several clashes between the police and the inmates in the past. Clashes among inmates have also been reported. Last year, an inmate,
John D’Souza, was stabbed to death in the jail.

The N M Joshi Marg police said no official FIR had been lodged. “We were called for a bandobast around 10 am. It continued till 2 pm and 33 accused were taken to other jails,’’ said assistant inspector Deepak Chauhan. DIG (prison) Rajnish Seth was not available for comment.

The jail houses the likes of Abu Salem, Arun Gawli and D K Rao, among others.
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