Clashes broke out between inmates and the staff at Central Jail Srinagar on Thursday evening, 4 April, as prisoners went on a rampage against the move to shift them within the prison facility for renovation of some barracks, police said on Friday. Normalcy has now been restored and a probe has been ordered.
Trouble started on Thursday night as the inmates of Central Jail resisted the prison authorities' move to shift them from two barracks so that these could be renovated. The inmates anticipated that they would be shifted to jails outside the valley, a police official said, reported PTI.
They attacked the jail premises, gathering LPG cylinders from the common mess, triggering four blasts near the gate and corners of walls in an apparent attempt to break the security grid and escape.
They also used the construction material dumped inside the jail for ongoing work to target the officers, security personnel and vehicles outside, according to the press release.
In their attempt to escape, more than 400 inmates from 10 barracks in the central area of jail broke open the internal gates and tried to damage the entry and exit points of the prison.
Fire tenders were pressed into action to contain the fire and disperse the crowd.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and Sr Superintendent of Police Haseeb Mughal rushed to the spot and reviewed the situation at 10.30 pm on Thursday.
The incident caused damage to property worth several lakhs including vital infrastructure and surveillance equipment, the press release stated.
The situation has been brought under control, the police official said, adding that senior officials are monitoring the situation.
A probe is being conducted by the deputy commissioner, Srinagar, who interacted with inmates at Central Jail and also inspected the damages done to the infrastructure.
Meanwhile, police have lodged an FIR. The government is further examining the matter, the press release said.
Additionally, Internet services have been snapped in Srinagar while the (internet) speed has been reduced in south Kashmir. Law-enforcing personnel have been deployed in the old city areas as a precautionary measure.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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