A 29-year-old undertrial prisoner at Tihar Jail was attacked and killed on Tuesday by four other inmates in a high-security ward.
After initial probe, police said gang war could be the reason behind the death.
It is the 21st death of an inmate in one of the country’s most secured prisons and the largest prison complex in South Asia, this year.
The deceased, Deepak, who was jailed in 2008 for involvement in 14 cases ranging from kidnapping and dacoity, was declared dead at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, the police said.
Deepak was attacked in ward no eight by Satpal Bedi, a life convict; Manpreet Singh and Riaz, involved in murder cases and Suraj, who has six cases of robbery and dacoity against his name. Manpreet is also accused of killing another inmate earlier.
The four men had attacked Deepak with improvised weapons made from window material, Tihar Jail’s PRO Mukesh Prasad said.
Confirming Deepak’s death in the hospital, Prasad said the accused are known for violating prison norms and have been associated with criminal activities inside the jail earlier as well.
The accused reportedly attacked Deepak inside the cell at 10 pm and the latter was declared dead in the hospital at 11.30 pm. His family was informed and the body was preserved for post-mortem.
A case of murder was registered with Hari Nagar Police Station.
Sources said the accused had waited to execute their plan after everybody fell asleep. An officer spotted Deepak lying in a pool of blood during a routine check and raised an alarm, the sources added, saying the victim was stabbed and his eyes were attacked.
After initial probe, police said that attack was led by Satpal, also accused of extorting fellow prisoners. He is a former accomplice of jailed gangster Romesh Sharma, who has links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The Tihar Jail authorities are under tremendous pressure for the past few months over frequent incidents of murder, suicides and recovery of prohibited items inside the prison complex. A superintendent of Tihar Jail was also suspended by the Delhi government over June’s jailbreak attempt by two undertrial prisoners.
In June, the Delhi High Court had also sought a status report from the Delhi government on the death of 15 prisoners at Tihar Jail between January and April.
According to data, 20 other deaths have been reported this year which include suicides, those due to medical lapses and natural causes. After the June court order, Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain had sought a detailed report from the jail authorities on the state of affairs in the prison and a proposal on what immediate steps can be taken to improve the situation.