The state government on Tuesday ordered a high-level probe into the mysterious death of a convicted prisoner at Hajipur divisional jail.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday directed inspector-general (prison directorate and correctional services) Anand Kishor to personally visit the divisional jail and submit a detailed report to the government. The order came after six jail inmates suffered serious injuries in a violent clash after the death of Ram Balak Rai (45) in the prisoners’ ward late on Sunday night.

The injured inmates were admitted to Hajipur sadar hospital. Two of them — Chitranjan Sharma and Anil Sharma — have been shifted to Patna Medical College and Hospital.

A source said IG Kishor, along with assistant inspector-general (jail) Dilip Kumar Singh, visited the jail on Tuesday evening.

Earlier, the prison directorate had set up a two-member team to probe into the circumstances that led to the death of Rai, serving life sentence for murdering his wife. Vaishali district magistrate Jitendra Srivastava and superintendent of police (SP) Suresh Prasad Choudhary visited the jail after the clash.

Some jail inmates went on a rampage after the post-mortem report confirmed Rai, a resident of Rajapakar in Vaishali district, was strangulated to death. They demanded stringent action against the rival group allegedly led by Anil Sharma and Chitranjan Sharma, suspected to be involved in Rai’s murder.

Vaishali SP said an FIR had been lodged with the Sadar police station.