Jail house rocks: 4 inmates injured in prison riot

Authorities resort to aerial firing and tear gas to get inmates to return to barracks.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Four prisoners were seriously injured in Dera Ghazi Khan after they refused to return to their barracks on Saturday evening.

According to eyewitnesses, the prisoners climbed on the roofs of the central jail in Dera Ghazi Khan and tried to flee the premises. A police official said that in the evening when the inmates were given the final call to return to their barracks many of them were not present.

Administrative authorities discovered that the men were on the roof of the central jail and had closed the door to reach the roof. Police personnel were called to the scene by the prison administration and they soon surrounded the prison to ensure the safety of all prisoners and to prevent any escape.

“The inmates refused to return to their barracks and began throwing stones at us. That was when the police began firing rubber bullets to force them back inside,” said officer Kamran Masood. According to jail officials, four prisoners were injured during the return fire. Dera Ghazi Khan Central Jail Superintendent Syed Babar Ali said that the prisoners had protested against jail authorities for not fulfilling their demands. “Their demands are unreasonable.

They have been asking that we allow them the use of mobile phones, others who are addicts have been asking for drugs,” he said.

Prisoners told reporters that more than 15 to 16 people had been placed in a single barrack and were being provided with poor quality food.

One of the four protesters, Mubeen, is in critical condition and has been sent to the hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2011.