Inmates of Bengal jail hold staff hostage demanding bail; talks on

Demanding bail, a group of inmates of the Jalpaiguri central correctional home in north Bengal held a number of staff members hostage on Saturday afternoon.

Senior district police officials rushed to the spot but could not enter the premises as the inmates had blocked the main gate from inside. Till last reports were received at 5 pm, officials were trying to diffuse the tension by talking to the inmates.

Most of the agitators were undertrial prisoners, officials said. The inmates separated the new and old jail complexes by locking the connecting gates.

A police officer, who did not want to identified, said most of the agitators at Jalpaiguri central correctional home had been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

There were rumours that some guards were assaulted but officials did not confirm this. The inmates also ransacked security cameras placed inside the premises.

There are around 1300 inmates in 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 rioting inside correctional homes in West Bengal. Days after the lockdown started and bail hearings stopped in courts, there was violence at Baruipur correctional home in South 24 Parganas district on March 3. A second incident was reported at Dum Dum central correctional home in March 21.

Incidentally, Bengal and other states have released thousands of inmates on bail and parole following a Supreme Court order.

Additional policemen and Rapid Action Force personnel rushed to the correctional home in the Raikatpara area of Jalpaiguri. The district superintendent of police and other officers were stationed at the spot.