New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday pulled up Tihar Jail officials for not being able to stop the murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside the prison even though the crime was caught on closed-circuit camera.
It also questioned the authorities on the recovery of four knives from Tihar where the gangster was stabbed to death on 2 May.
Calling it a “totally unacceptable state of affairs”, the court sought a response from jail authorities on what action was taken to prevent the 33-year-old’s murder.
Visuals from that day show Tejpuriya brutally stabbed by three rival gang members, who pulled him out of his cell.
They killers can be seen stabbing him multiple times a little after 6 am am that day, and leaving him bleeding on the ground.
In the footage, no officer is seen coming to Tejpuriya’s help, as did no prisoner.
The gangster, accused of a shootout in Rohini Court, can be seen there, but no one was able to stop the attackers.
Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya, an accused in Delhi’s Rohini court shootout, was rushed to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he was declared dead.
Justice Jasmeet Singh saw the CCTV footage and said he was “unable to comprehend” why no steps were taken by authorities if the entire incident was captured on CCTV.
Singh sought a response from Tihar’s Director General of Prisons within a week and ordered the report to indicate the accountability of jail officers who were responsible for the lapses. The judge also asked the jail superintendent to be present in court on 25 May – the next date of hearing.
The court was hearing a plea moved by the gangster’s father and brother, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the murder and also protection for them.