Tillu Tajpuriya Murder: Delhi High Court Slams Tihar Jail Officials, Seeks Status Report

Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya, an accused in Delhi`s Rohini court shootout case, was stabbed to death by rival gang members inside Tihar Jail on May 2.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday came down heavily on Tihar Central Jail officials for failing to stop the brutal murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya by rival gang members inside the high-security prison last week. The high court, while seeking a status report from the Tihar administration regarding the brutal murder, also directed the Jail Superintendent to be personally present in the court.

Delhi High Court Justice Jasmeet Singh said the brutal murder inside the high-security prison is ''unacceptable'' and said that the court is unable to comprehend why no steps were taken by authorities if the incident was captured on CCTV cameras inside the jail.  The judge himself saw the shocking CCTV footage, which showed the 33-year-old gagster being forcibly taken out of his cell and being stabbed to death.

The High Court said that it was a "totally unacceptable state of affairs" and also questioned the jail authorities over the recovery of four knives from Tihar premises where gangster Tillu Tajpuriya was stabbed to death.

Responding to a plea by Tajpuriya's father and brother seeking a CBI probe, The High Court also ordered the Delhi Police to consider providing security to them. The court also directed the public prosecutor to explain the responsibility and accountability of the officers responsible for the lapse.

CCTV Footage Of Tillu Tajpuriya Murder Emerges 

The two shocking CCTV footage from inside Delhi’s Tihar Central Jail showing dreaded gangster Tillu Tajpuriya being brutally stabbed to death by his rival gang members surfaced last week. The CCTV footage obtained by the Delhi Police shows the three killers pulling Tajpuriya out from his cell and assaulting him. The killers can be seen stabbing and attacking him multiple times leaving him in a pool of blood.

The footage recorded around 6:10 AM on May 2 shows the assailants forcibly taking Tillu Tajpuriya out of his cell and brutally kicking, assaulting and stabbing him to death. Some prisoners can be seen in the video, but no one was able to stop the attackers.

Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya, an accused in Delhi`s Rohini court shootout case, was killed by rival gang members in Tihar jail on May 2. 

According to the prison officials, Tillu Tajpuriya was immediately taken to Delhi`s Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Meanwhile, the case has now been transferred to a special cell for investigation. The case was registered in Hari Nagar police station under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Tamil Nadu DGP C Sylendra Babu orders probe into the Delhi Tihar Jail incident where gangster Tillu Tajpuriya was murdered when a few Tamil Nadu TSP personnel stand as mute spectators. ADGP HM Jayaram is visiting Tihar jail to investigate this today: Tamil Nadu Special Force https://t.co/ZzlxK7rAay — ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023

Members of the rival gang namely Deepak Teeter, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh and Riyaz Khan had around 6:15 am cut open the iron grill installed on the first floor of the ward using an improvised saw. 

According to a prison official, the accused were lodged on the first floor of the same ward and they used an iron rod to attack Tajpuriya. Tajpuriya, a resident of Delhi who headed the infamous Tillu gang, was arrested in 2016 for multiple crimes and had been in jail ever since.

Sunil Balyan alias Tajpuriya was the main accused in the Rohini court shootout case in September 2021 which left his friend-turned-rival gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi dead. The shooters, alleged associates of Tajpuriya had come dressed in lawyer`s clothes and gunned Gogoi dead inside a courtroom in Rohini court. The two gunmen were immediately shot dead by the police team.

Tajpuriya and his gang’s rivalry with another gang led by notorious gangster, Jitender Gogi dates back to 2009 when the pair were friends but supported different candidates in elections in Swami Shraddhanand College in Outer Delhi.