Court summons Tihar Jail official over hygiene issues

A court on Tuesday asked the Tihar Jail Superintendent to appear in person and respond to jailed gangster Neeraj Sehrawat's plea to ensure hygienic conditions for prisoners.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Pandit sought the official's appearance on November 1 and explain Sehrawat alias Neeraj Bawana's complaint about "inhuman" conditions in the jail.

Bawana's counsel M.S. Khan urged the court to issue directions to jail officials to provide better and hygienic conditions to his client and other inmates.

Khan asked the court to appoint a Local Commissioner to visit the jail and meet the inmates.

Bawana said he was kept in a high-risk ward of Jail Number 1 along with 45 inmates and they once went on hunger strike to demand basic facilities, proper food with lodging as well as medical facilities.

He alleged that the inmates were kept locked up 24 hours a day and not allowed to breathe fresh air.

The gangster claimed that jail cells stink, were infested with thousands of insects and plaster was peeling off the walls.

Bawana, former Delhi legislator Rambeer Shokeen, Pankaj Sehrawat, Sunil Rathi, Rahul Dabas, Naveen Dabas alias Bali, Naveen Hooda alias Bhanja, Amit Malik alias Bhura, Gurpreet Singh and Deepak Dabas alias Deepa are facing trial under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for allegedly running an organised crime syndicate.

--IANS

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