At least four prisoners were injured today when they were allegedly beaten up by some guards in the high security Jodhpur Central Jail.
All of them were admitted to hospital. The incident occurred after an inmate had a heated argument with a jail guard, after which the guard called his colleagues and allegedly beat up the inmates recklessly.
The concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police said he was not aware of the incident, whereas the jail superintendent could not be reached over phone despite repeated attempts.
According to one of the hospitalised inmates, Rafiq Khan, "They (jail guards) pulled the inmates out of their cells and barracks and started beating them with their batons recklessly."
Khan also claimed that several prisoners had been injured, but the jail administration has sent only four to the hospital in a bid to downplay the incident.
Khan also alleged an extortion bid by the jail guards.
"The guards extort money in the jail from the prisoners in the name of facilities and those, who do not pay, suffer their wrath," he said from his hospital bed.
Some guards have also sustained injuries in the clash, he said.
The high security jail had been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The jail had hit the headlines in late 2010 when the jailer, Bharat Bhushan Bhatt, was murdered by some prisoners allegedly in an act of vengeance.
