Free-for-all in Jalandhar jail

Tension had been brewing among the prisoners for the past three days over the alleged apathetic attitude of the jail staff. Protesting inmates alleged that some members of the staff, on the directions of the superintendent, had forcibly chopped off the hair of a Sikh youth, Jaswinder Singh, on December 28 after he was found using a mobile.

Also, nearly 20 inmates had been consigned to ‘dark’ cells for the past fortnight, and they were not being released despite repeated demands of the prisoners. Besides this, they complained of poor medical treatment and sub-standard food.

The suspended superintendent, however, dismissed these allegations, saying that the inmates had turned against him because he was trying to put an end to the supply of smack and use of mobiles in the jail.

The violence suddenly erupted around 12 noon when over 1,500 inmates set various rooms of the jail, including the record room, the library, video-conferencing room, etc, on fire. They smashed doors, windowpanes and threw stones at the staff.

Soon, the district police sent a large contingent under DIG Narinder Singh to control the situation. Senior officials said the trouble stared at 6.30 am when the inmates were allowed to come out of their barracks by the jail staff. The majority of inmates refused to take their meals and sat on fast.

It was a free-for-all in the jail for around three hours as inmates tried to scale the walls and flee by using ropes. The petrified jail staff simply looked on until help came from outside.

Deputy Commissioner AS Pannu and SSP Arpit Shukla also visited the spot. The police tried to beat back the protesters by opening teargas and using water canon, but to no avail.

The violence died down only after a compromise was reached with the inmates in the jail gurudwara.

Panic-stricken relatives of the prisoners gathered outside the jail gate once the news of rioting spread. Chaos reigned as women wailed loudly, asking to be let in. “How can I believe my relatives are fine unless I see them,” asked Neera Kumari of Kadiana. “We will break open the gate if we are not allowed to go inside,” said Jyoti Kaur of Nakodar. It was only after much persuasion by senior officers that they dispersed.

DC Pannu said Satpal Singh has been placed under suspension and AIG (Jails) Jagjit Singh has given the charge of the jail.

SSP Arpit Shukla wondered why so many inmates had been allowed to gather at one spot.

This is not the first time the jail has witnessed such rioting. In 2005, 35 inmates were injured in a bloody clash over narcotics. Recently, cell phones were also recovered from jail inmates by the staff.