2 Prisoners Die As Sharp COVID-19 Spike Grips Delhi's Notorious Tihar Jail

Two prisoners in New Delhi's notorious Tihar jail died of COVID-19 on Tuesday night, as the infection was spreading rapidly through India's most populated prison complex, said a report reaching here Thursday from across the Line of Control

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2021 ) : Two prisoners in New Delhi's notorious Tihar jail died of COVID-19 on Tuesday night, as the infection was spreading rapidly through India's most populated prison complex, said a report reaching here Thursday from across the Line of Control.

The infamous prison also houses dozens of innocent Kashmiri political detenues rounded up from various parts of the Indian Illegally occupied Jammu Kashmir for taking part in the activities for freedom of the motherland from Indian manacles, the report said.

"Two prisoners housed in Tihar jail died of COVID-19 on Tuesday night," it said, adding since April, 284 corona cases among prisoners and 115 among jailers had been reported, raising fears of a mass infection spread inside the jail.

At over 20,500 prisoners currently, the inmate count at Tihar jail was the highest ever in its history, the report said.

It said on Tuesday night, the officials of GTB Hospital informed them that prisoner Mukesh Talwar, 61, had succumbed to the coronavirus infection. Talwar, who was arrested in connection with a rape case last month, was lodged in the jail number 7 and had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 22. As his condition worsened, he was admitted to GTB Hospital the same day.

Hours before Talwar's death, 43-year-old prisoner Mohammed Anis, who was lodged in jail number 4, too, died of the disease at the DDU Hospital.

Anis had been in prison since December 17, 2019, in a drug-related case, the report said.

The director general (prisons) confirmed the two deaths without offering more details, the report said.

Currently, there were 261 active COVID-19 cases among the prisoners, it added. Following rapid surge of the pandemic, experts have reportedly suggested to the government either to set up temporary jails outside the prison complex -- such as school buildings -- or release some of the prisoners who are not a threat to society.

The report recalled that last year, when the pandemic broke out in India , nearly 6,000 prisoners were released on special parole/bail to ensure social distancing within the jail. However, between February 6 and March 18, 2021, almost all those prisoners surrendered and returned to jail, after spending nearly 10-11 months outside. Their return meant that the prison was once again crowded, leaving little space for isolation of suspected COVID-19 patients and new inmates, the report added.

"Among the many prisoners, who are currently COVID19 positive are underworld gangster Chhota Rajan and former politician turned gangster Mohammed Shahabuddin. While Rajan has been admitted to AIIMS, Shahabuddin is being treated at DDU Hospital," the report revealed.