JEDDAH, Jul 31 : Saudi Ambassador to India Saud Al-Sati has categorically denied Indian media reports that two Saudis were killed in prison violence in the far east of the country early Saturday.
“No Saudi has been killed in any prison,” he told Saudi Gazette on the phone, adding, “There is not a single Saudi in any Indian prison.”
The Indian media reported on Saturday quoting police officials that three prisoners were killed in a fight in a jail in India’s remote North Eastern State of Manipur.
A police spokesman said the incident took place just before dawn at the Manipur Central jail in the State capital Imphal.
Two prisoners attacked and killed another inmate lodged in the same cell, and on hearing about the incident other inmates counter-attacked and killed the two foreign jail inmates, P. Doungel, the State’s Additional Director General of Police told reporters.
They identified the two foreign Nationals killed in the prison as Sushak Yusuf Ahmed and Abdul Salam.
They were facing trial on charges of entering the country without valid travel documents after being arrested in 2013.
The Saudi ambassador said that the foreign Nationals were, in fact, Bangladeshis who entered India illegally.
He said that the Saudi Embassy got in touch with the Indian authorities who confirmed that there were no Saudis in the prison.
The other deceased inmate has been identified as Thangmilian Zou, a local tribal member from Manipur’s Churachandpur district.
Doungel said it was not immediately clear what triggered the fight.
“Autopsy of the three is being done. We are investigating the incident and trying to find out if any crude implements were used by the inmates in the attack,” Doungel said.
At least two prison guards and one official were also injured when they tried to intervene and stop the fight. — With agencies
