Rising Gangwars And Bitter Rivalries Inside India's Prisons

On May 2, ganglord Sunil Mann aka Tillu Tajpuria was killed brutally by four members of a rival gang with a ‘sua’ needle in the high-security Tihar Prison in Delhi. Tajpuria was stabbed nearly 40 times and attacked with an iron rod. Horrifying visuals of Tajpuriya’s murder took social media by storm where, towards the end, cops from the Tamil Nadu Police force stood there when the attack continued. On April 14, an associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Prince Tewatia, was killed in an attack by rival gang members inside Tihar Jail. Tewatia was killed in a similar way when he was attacked by members of the rival gang with an impoverished weapon. 

Two back-to-back cold murders in Tihar Jail in a matter of two months have once again shed light on the growing incidents of gangwars in Delhi and its surrounding regions. The walls of jail complexes have seen multiple instances of murders, attempted murders, and conspiracies to kill. From Neeraj Bawana, Manjeet Mahal, Kala Jatheri and Neetu Dabodia to Irfan Chhenu and Hashim Baba, Tihar jail, the most secure prison in the country, is home to leaders of almost all such big gangs. 

Further, the incident draws a close parallel with the killing of Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala which was another example of a fallout of inter-gang rivalry. Within days, Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for Moosewala's killing. Later, videos of the prison killing surfaced on social media. In a video, an inmate identifying himself as Sachin Bhiwani said the slain gangsters were henchmen of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Bhiwani and others in the video allegedly belong to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which came under the spotlight after Moosewala's murder.

In this context, Outlook explores the grimy underbelly of Delhi and the several organised criminal groups engaged in bitter rivalries and bloody turf wars.