Hosts social media live from UP Jail, accused of murder: Three prison wardens have been let go

After looking into the case of an accused murderer who had a cell phone and used it to broadcast a live video on social media, the prison administration at Bareilly Central prison in Uttar Pradesh punished three jail wardens.

An alleged video of Asif, a murder suspect at Bareilly Central Jail, presenting a live broadcast went viral on social media on Thursday, prompting the investigation.

During the brief two-minute clip, Asif can be heard declaring, “I am in heaven and enjoying it.”

The brother of the deceased met with District Magistrate Umesh Pratap Singh on Thursday after seeing the footage on social media and filed a formal complaint.

A deputy jailor has also been demoted by the authorities, who have also asked the two jailors for written explanations of what happened.

“On Friday, three prison warders, Gopal Pandey, Hans Jeev Sharma, and Ravi Shankar Dwivedi, were suspended for neglecting their duties. The Jail Headquarters in Lucknow is now home to deputy jailor Kishan Singh Baldia, according to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Prisons Kuntal Kumar’s statement on Saturday.

“A written explanation has also been sought from jailors Vijay Kumar Rai and Neeraj Kumar regarding the incident,” he said.

According to the officer, during barrack searches conducted as part of the inquiry, no questionable items were found.

Asif is charged with killing 34-year-old Rakesh Yadav, a contractor for the public works department (PWD), on December 2, 2019, in the Sadar Bazar Police Station neighborhood of Shahjahanpur, during the day.

An additional defendant Both Rahul Chaudhury and Yadav are being held in Bareilly Central Jail after Chaudhury was also charged with killing Yadav.