Varanasi prisoners go on rampage to protest inmate's beating, take jail superintendent hostage

Varanasi: The superintendent of a district jail in Varanasi was taken hostage while his deputy was seriously injured as inmates clashed with prison staff on Saturday and took control of a section of the prison barracks. [caption id=“attachment_2709130” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. IBNLive[/caption] The inmates went on the rampage in the morning after two of their prison mates were allegedly beaten up by guards at Varanasi district jail at Chowkaghat in the Cantonment police station area, police sources said. Jail superintendent Ashish Tiwari was taken hostage by the inmates, who were unhappy over several issues, including “poor quality” of food served at the prison, they said. The prisoners have taken control of a portion of the jail barracks and locked it from inside, they said. As irate inmates clashed with jail officials, deputy jail superintendent Ajay Rai received serious injuries while several prison guards too were assaulted, they said. The senior jail official has been taken to hospital, the sources added. A large police force has been deployed in and around the prison with efforts on to enter the barracks seized by the inmates. DM Raj Mani Yadav and senior prison department officials are at the jail to deal with the situation, the sources said, adding that an NDRF team has been dispatched to the prison.