Undertrial prisoner attacked by inmates

Bhubaneswar: An under-trial prisoner has been attacked by other inmates at Jharpada Jail in Bhubaneswar, resulting in severe head injuries, a senior jail official said on Monday.

Additional Director General (Prisons) Amitabh Thakur, who along with Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Anusuya Jena visited the prison, said a thorough investigation has been launched into the incident.”Stringent action will be taken against the inmates found guilty during the investigation,” he said.

The Cuttack DIG is recording the statements of the inmates and other officials and will submit a detailed report, Thakur said. Jena saidthe statement of the victim, Soumyakant Mohanty, was recorded and he said that 12-15 persons entered his cell on Sunday and attacked him.

Mohanty, who was admitted to Capital Hospital and later discharged, alleged that another inmate, Munna, son of notorious gangster Haidar, and his gang were behind the incident. He alleged that the gang assaulted him because he had recently written a letter to Bhubaneswar District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) about some “unethical activities” in the jail.

Following his letter, members of the DLSA conducted a raid in the jail on Saturday and confiscated mobile phones and drug paraphernalia.