Panaji, Sep 8 (IANS): The Congress in Goa on Tuesday demanded a probe into the increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the Colvale central jail in North Goa.

Congress leaders on Tuesday also met prison authorities to question them about the increasing protests by inmates over the coronavirus spread and "poor quality" of food served to them.

"There are currently six corona cases in the prison -- five of them are inmates regularly assigned mess duties. At this rate, corona will spread further in the prison precincts," said Youth Congress President Varad Mardolkar, who led the party delegation to meet the prison authorities in Panaji.

Mardolkar also accused the prison authorities of "neglect" which he said could "worsen the coronavirus situation in the prison".

Corona cases have been detected in the prison complex since July, when a jailor tested positive.

Last month, prisoners nearly rioted after the jail complex ran out of food supplies for one whole day.

As against its capacity of more than 600 inmates, the prison complex houses around 550.

Mardolkar said that the Congress delegation had demanded that prison authorities hold a meeting of the jail complex's visiting committee headed by the District Judge to examine the issue of corona spread in the jail premises.