A Delhi court on April 19, 2019, has ordered an inquiry after an undertrial lodged in Tihar jail alleged that he was beaten up and branded with the Om symbol on his back by a jail superintendent in his office.
As per a report in The Hindu, Shabbir alias Nabbir, 34, a resident of Seelampur in northeast Delhi, has been lodged in Tihar since March 2016. On April 12, 2019, Shabbir addressed a complaint to the superintendent of jail number 4, Rajesh Chauhan, that the induction stove in their barracks was not working properly.
Angry with his complaint, the official called Shabbir to his office, where he was allegedly thrashed and branded with the Om symbol. He was also allegedly deprived of food for two days.
The incident came to light after the Shabbir informed about the cruelty to his family member who informed his counsel Jagmohan about the same. The counsel had accordingly moved an application after meeting Shabbir in jail on April 16, 2019.
The metropolitan magistrate of Karkardooma Court, ordering the inquiry has sought medical examination of the undertrial for the burn imprint on his back and asked the investigators to collect CCTV footage and statements of other inmates about the alleged incident.
Further, the court has also asked the jail authorities to ensure the safety of the inmate in jail.
