Demanding bail, a group of inmates at Jalpaiguri central correctional home in north Bengal held a number of staff members hostage on Saturday afternoon. Senior district police officers rushed to the spot but could not enter the premises as the inmates had blocked the main gate from inside. The crisis ended in the evening after the officials diffused the tension by talking to the inmates.
Most of the agitators are undertrial prisoners, officials said. The inmates separated the new and old jail complexes by locking the connecting gates. They took six jail wardens and eight cleaning staff hostage.
A police officer, who did not want to be identified, said most of the agitators had been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Such inmates are not entitled to bail although the Supreme Court recently took note of the lockdown in courts and showed leniency towards jail inmates being tried or convicted for some specific offences.
In its order, the apex court said those booked for crimes against women and children, waging war against the state and other serious offences cannot be released. Bengal and other states have already released thousands of inmates on bail and parole following that order.
“The situation was controlled after the inmates wrote a petition to the district magistrate, demanding bail. The police and jail authorities told them that it would be forwarded to higher authorities,” an officer said on condition of anonymity.
In the evening, Jalpaiguri superintendent of police Abhisek Modi, who led the police team, said, “The situation is under control. The unrest will be investigated.”
The agitators started the trouble by refusing to have lunch and stopped others from eating it as well. They threw away the food. Branches of trees, iron rods fitted to a football goal post and bricks were allegedly used by the agitators. There were reports that some guards were assaulted but officials did not confirm this. The inmates also ransacked security cameras installed inside the premises.
There are around 1,300 inmates at the correctional home, officials said. Among them, around 200 are undertrial prisoners. This is the biggest correctional home in north Bengal.
This is the third incident of its kind in the state since bail hearings stopped because of the coronavirus lockdown. There was violence at Baruipur correctional home in South 24 Parganas district on March 3. The second incident was reported at Dum Dum central correctional home on March 21.