The incident sent shocked the state government as the prison is also currently holding the sole Pakistan terrorist who attacked Mumbai in November 2008, Ajmal Qasab.
According to prison sources, Ibrahim's henchman, Mustafa Dossa, attacked Salem with a sharp-edged spoon, causing several injuries. Abu Salem has now been shifted to Thane prison while Dossa has been sent to Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai.
A senior prison official said the fight was an ego clash between the two men. Dossa and Salem are both accused of involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. Salem has also been accused of killing film producer Gulshan Kumar and involvement in extortion.
Both gangsters were lodged in Barrack No. 10, when they should have been kept in separate cells by the prison authorities. For the past few days there have been minor squabbles between Dossa and Salem, and this turned violent on Saturday with Dossa attacking and injuring Salem on his face.
Salem had complained to prison authorities that Dossa was being given preferential treatment and facilities and since then Dossa became hostile toward Salem.
After the murder of Gulshan Kumar, Salem had left Ibrahim and formed his own gang. This was not liked by Dawood and the rival gangs were at odds with sporadic attacks being launched by the gangs on each other.
This morning Salem came face to face with Dossa during breakfast. Dossa lost his cool and without any provocation from Salem attacked him. Salem received bruises to his face and sustained some minor bleeding.
As both the gangsters were attacking each other, the prison and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel deployed for the security of Qasab in the prison campus intervened and separated the two.
Question marks are now being raised on the law and order and security system in the prison. The police have registered a complaint against Dossa for assaulting Salem. The prison authorities have separated both gangsters and moved them into different barracks for their own safety.
The police are tightlipped over the incident and not providing any official information to the media. The gang war has exposed the laxity and negligence of prison authorities and raised eyebrows about the security being given to Qasab.
