Security has been stepped up in and around Khudiram Bose Memorial Central Jail, Muzaffarpur, following group clashes in the prison.
The trouble started on Monday evening when two criminals - Suman Srivastava and Bittu Singh - had a fight with each other. The duo are facing charges of kidnapping, loot and murder and said to have their own sphere of influence even inside the jail.
It became clear when a section of inmates, divided into the Suman and Bittu camps, clashed with each other on Tuesday, leading to law and order problem inside the high security prison.
Alarmed at the volatility of the situation, inspector-general (prisons) Prem Sinha Meena rushed to Muzaffarpur on Tuesday and stayed there for more than three hours. 'The IG visited the prisoners' wards and the terrorist cell where the gangsters and Maoist leaders have been kept. He also directed the jail officials to enhance security cover,' a source in the jail said, adding that the IG also directed deputation of Bihar Military Police personnel for maintaining law and order in the prison.
Meena later directed jail superintendent Jitendra Kumar to strengthen the internal security system.
Regular search of all the wards thrice in a day and terrorist cell is being carried out, Jitendra said. In a related development, the authorities did not allow visitors on Tuesday to meet their relatives who are lodged in the jail.
DM Anupam Kumar said the jail administration had been directed to take stringent action against troublemakers.