Tension after prisoners-police clash

Tension prevailed in a Bihar jail Sunday where clashes between officials and some prisoners who tried to break free left at least 17 people injured.

At least 12 prisoners and five police officials were injured in the clashes late Saturday in the prison in Sitamarhi district, officials said.

The trouble started when jail officials tried to disperse a group of angry prisoners protesting against shifting former Maoists Santosh Jha and Samrat Choudhary from the prison.

District Magistrate Pratima. S. Verma said some prisoners attacked jail officials, stoned them and attacked them with broken glass and bricks.

A few prisoners tried to break free after the clashes and were injured when the police opened fire to control them, Verma said.

Verma said the situation was now tense but under control.

Police official Arun Kumar said some inmates set ablaze a hospital in the prison complex and ransacked an office building.

Authorities have deployed paramilitary troopers in the jail.