Suresh Kakaria (27) died, while two other inmates, Shankar Thakore and Devendra Rajput, were injured in the incident, the police said, adding that the incident might have been a fallout of a gang war in the prison.

“Investigations are on and we are yet to ascertain the actual cause of the incident. Nothing can be ruled out at this juncture,” said M B Joshi, inspector, Sabarmati police.

According to sources, a convict, Mahedra Rathod, allegedly led a group of prisoners, who pounced on Kakaria with a sharp-edged weapon, believed to have been made out of a steel tiffin handle.

A profusely bleeding Kakaria was rushed to the Civil Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries around 2 pm. Kakaria was serving his term for attempting to kill a person, the police added.

The police are yet to record statements of Thakore and Rajput, who are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

In August 2005, a jail inmate, Chetan Patel, alias Chetan Battery, was brutally hacked to death in his barrack. The incident was a fallout of a gang war. Members of the Gova Rabari gang had murdered Battery.

Alarmed by this incident, the jail authorities had stepped up security and an inquiry was ordered. Several jail employees were found involved in the smuggling of prohibited items in the jail premises.