Patna, July 1: Chief minister Nitish Kumar might have been marginally successful in breaking the age-old caste barrier in the state but at the Beur Central Jail, caste factor still rules the roost.

With the jail coming under a lot of fire from the state home department and police for all kinds of wrong reasons, senior police officers told The Telegraph that different gangs and groups ruled the jail at the moment on the basis of caste, region and ideology.

At least four wards of the jail are home to these groups. Since the leaders are hardcore criminals, an entry into each group is solely based on the leader’s discretion. Each group has an average of six people.

“The highest number goes up to 13 members and the group belongs to the feared Bindu Singh, accused in several cases of murder, abduction and extortion,” Patna city superintendent of police (SP) Shivdeep Lande said.

Being a Bhumihar, Bindu dominates the entire group with another criminal Bhola Sharma, who also hails from the same caste.

If the Bhumihars dominate the prison, how can Yadavs lag behind? The dreaded Ritlal Yadav heads the Yadavs’ group. Another criminal by the name of Shiv Gope assists Ritlal and they, too, enjoy an equally strong clout on the jail premises.

On the other hand, the Paswans’ group is led by Sukku Paswan, a well-known criminal.

The Rajputs have also made their presence felt within the jailed walls with Pintu Singh leading them.

The caste line does not end here. The Kayasthas have made their place with Ajay Verma leading the pack.

“The groups are not just divided on the basis of caste. There are region-based groups too. There is a group from Nalanda, one from Jehanabad and another from Ara. There is also a group hailing from Patna, one belongs to the criminals of rural Danapur. Another division is on the basis of ideology with the Maoists and the Marxists standing on two different platforms,” the police officer said.

These groups have taken over at least four wards of the jail. Each ward has, on an average, 24 cells.

Sources said it was always the discretion of the group leaders to decide if a person should join their particular group or not.

“If the bosses (group leader) need a person who belongs to his caste, he is called. It is never the other way round,” a source said.

On June 29 afternoon, jail inspector-general Anand Kishore and the city SP inspected the Beur jail. The former directed that the inmates and convicts staying in a particular cell for a long time should be immediately moved to other cells.

The sources also said after the inspection on June 29, Bindu’s men had been disintegrated into different cells. The men belonging to Ritlal also met with a similar fate.

In the past one week, police conducted three raids at the Beur Jail and the men-in-uniform have come across shady practices going on within the prison walls.

O.P. Gupta, the jail superintendent, has been asked to explain under what circumstances former MP Pappu Yadav was enjoying a luxurious life inside the jail.

The superintendent has been asked to prepare a detailed report about the reasons for so many malpractices going on in the jail for years.