April was a cruel month for the Uttar Pradesh penal system. May has not been kind either. Riots broke out in four prisons across the state. Jailed men in Varanasi, Kaushambi, Deoria and Muzaffarnagar went on the rampage and attacked fellow inmates, jail staff and guards. Scores were injured in the fighting. During the April 2 riot at the district jail in Varanasi, the superintendent, Ashish Tiwari, was held hostage for about six hours and his deputy, who was severely thrashed, was admitted to hospital with serious inj­uries. Resentment had been simmering over several issues, including poor food, for a long time, but the immediate provocation for the riot was apparently rumours of prisoners being beaten up by guards. According to reports, the April 15 brawl in Kaushambi was provoked when security guards ‘asked’ prisoners for a ‘suvidha shulk’ on Ram Navami. Full Article