In a shocking development, an inmate lodged at Tihar Jail in Delhi was allegedly beaten up to chant the religious slogan 'Jai Shri Ram'. The horrific and unprecedented incident had pushed the inmate to approach the court and he had taken the matter to the notice of the judicial body. 

According to reports, an alleged member of the Islamic State militant group, who was arrested in connection to planning suicide attacks and serial blasts across the country, had on Wednesday approached the Delhi Court by claiming that he was beaten up by other inmates in Tihar jail and was forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. The accused, Rashid Zafar, was arrested in 2018 and has been in incarceration at Tihar jail. 

He is facing allegations of being a member of a militant group inspired by ISIS that was orchestrating a plot of suicide attacks, serial blasts, targeting politicians, and government offices in Delhi and other parts of North India. He was arrested along with nine others in December 2018 after NIA had carried out searches along with the special cell of Delhi police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad of Uttar Pradesh at six places in Delhi and eleven places at Uttar Pradesh. 

The searches were carried out a month before the Republic Day celebrations. The National Intelligence Agency has said that several threatening types of equipment including rocket launchers, suicide vests, and hundreds of alarm clocks were recovered from the searches. After the arrest, Zafar was lodged at Tihar jail for further interrogations. 

He has now moved to the Delhi court by claiming that several inmates in the prison complex had beaten him and forced him to chant Jai Shri Ram. Advocate MS Khan has moved Zafar's petition to the court and the plea has highlighted that the incident was disclosed by the accused to his father while speaking to the latter through a phone from Tihar jail. 

The plea said, "The accused was beaten up and forced to chant religious slogans like 'Jai Shri Ram' by his inmates." The petition has sought appropriate directions from the court to the Jail Superintendent to look into the matter and ensure the inmate's safety in the prison.