Tihar staff drunken brawl goes viral

In a major embarrassment to the Tihar authorities, a video of two of its officials exchanging blows inside a car in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area went viral on the social media on Wednesday, prompting the prison authorities to take action against them.

Additional I-G and Tihar spokesperson Mukesh Prasad said: “Such an act is unbecoming of government servants and the process is underway to suspend them.”

Upreti is posted in the CCTV room and Digambar at Jail No. 7 of the prison. “We have taken serious note of the video and are ensuring strict action against the two jail staffers, head warder Anil Upreti and warder Digambar over their drunken brawl,” he added.

On Wednesday, a video showing Tihar jail staffers coming to blows allegedly under the influence of alcohol went viral online. The video, about 3 minutes long, clearly shows the two beating each other inside a Wagon-R. Both are clearly seen under the influence of alcohol as several passersby filmed the incident.

The prison officials said that the incident took place on the night of February 1 when the duo started hitting each other inside the stationary car in Janakpuri.

Drawn by the commotion, people gathered around the vehicle and several people captured the video of the incident on their mobile phones. The video, in which blood is dripping down from their faces, also shows people criticising the duo for behaving in such a manner despite holding crucial posts in Tihar jail. The shirt of one of the officials could be seen soaked in blood even as he is seen lying inside the car in a semi-conscious state.

A senior prison official said that besides initiating action against the erring officials, they are examining the video. The two were also called in for an explanation by senior officials on Wednesday.