Kolkata: Death toll in Dum Dum central jail violence rises to four, CID takes over probe

Earlier in the afternoon, being upset over stalled court hearings and suspension on meeting family members amid Covid-19 outbreak, a group of Dum Dum jail's under-trial convicts engaged in a clash with a section of prisoners and when prison-guards tried to intervene to bring the situation under control, they attacked the security personnel, ransacked jail properties and torched a portion of the correctional home.

They also reportedly pelted stones aiming at cops, leaving at least eight policemen, including the jailer, hurt.

Later, a heavy police force rushed the scene and police restored to lathicharge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the attacking inmates.

Few fire tenders also reached the spot and firemen fought for an hour to douse the blaze.

Meanwhile, local sources claimed that few rounds of bullets were fired from both sides during the hour-long clash and few inmates were spotted moving freely with firearms inside the jail compound, though police denied any report of gunshot at the area.

However, senior police officials said that more than 20 inmates as well as eight policemen were seriously injured in the clash.

Following the incident, West Bengal ministers Sujit Bose and Jyotipriyo Mullick along with top state police officials visited the scene.

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Later at night, senior IPS officer Peeyush Pandey was appointed as the new ADG and IG of West Bengal Correctional Services.

Bodies of the four deceased have been sent for post-mortem.

Days ago, West Bengal Correctional Services department directed that no inmates of all correctional homes across the state could not meet their family members till Mar 13 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic while the regular court trials are on suspension in West Bengal till Mar 25 as a precautionary measure against the spread of Covid-19.