PUNJAB CM ORDERS MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY INTO LUDHIANA CENTRAL JAIL VIOLENCE
New Delhi, June 27 : Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry, to be conducted by DC Ludhiana, into Thursday’s outbreak of violence in the Central Jail. Taking serious note of the incident, in which one inmate was killed while five prisoners and around half a dozen police personnel were injured, the Chief Minister has asked for a detailed probe to identify the instigators of the violence. He has made it clear that strict action will be taken against the culprits.
The violence broke out around 11.30 a.m. after news of the death of a prison inmate, identified as Sunny Sood, in Rajendra Medical College hospital, Patiala, reached the jail. Sood was undertrial in an NDPS Act case.
As per preliminary information, the news of Sood’s death triggered a riot in the jail premises, with the 3100-odd inmates refusing to go back into the barracks and starting to pelt stones, which were available due to some ongoing construction work. The rioting inmates also set on fire the record room, along with car of the Jail Superintendent apart from vandalizing the jail property.
As they tried to break the prison gates, the jail police tried to stop them by firing in the air, as per the initial reports. Meanwhile, additional police force reached the spot u/l Sh. Ashwani Kumar, PPS, DCP Ludhiana, to control the situation, along with the tear gas vehicles and 250/300 police personnel. DC Ludhiana Pardeep Agarwal and IG Jails MR Jakhar also reached the spot. The situation was finally brought into control at around 1.30 pm, when the prisoners were put back in the barracks.
The prisoner killed in the violence was identified as Ajit Baba s/o Harjinder Singh, while those injured were Vishal Kumar s/o Rakesh Sharma r/o Daba, Prince s/o Rajpal r/o Civil Lines Ludhiana, Sunil s/o Babu Ram r/o Hajipur, Hoshiarpur, Ranbir s/o Sukhdev r/o Gobind Nagar Jalandhar and Pankaj s/o Veerpal r/o Tajpur Road Ludhiana.
During an informal interaction with some mediapersons here today, the Chief Minister said the incident did not reflect any law and order breakdown in Punjab, where the law and order situation was among the best in the country.
In response to a question on the opposition’s demand for resignation of Punjab jail minister, Sukhjinder Randhawa, the CM said there is no question. “Akali Dal and Aam Admi party have nothing constructive to say, except making such illogical demands. Situations are to be dealt and we are dealing with it”.
