Amritsar, June 17
Former Congress MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa, his younger brother Harpinderjit Singh and 12 other co-accused, who are lodged in the Central jail in connection with the alleged killing of an Akali worker on January 29 at Beas, have gone on fast following alleged physical and mental torture.

In a hand-written press note, smuggled out from the jail premises, which the higher authorities described as a serious lapse on the part of the jail authorities, Dimpa alleged that he feared threat to his life from the Akali government. The hand-written note alleged that there could be an attempt to poison his food and so they had resorted to an indefinite fast.

However, senior jail officials have ordered a probe into the smuggling out of the press note. Deputy superintendent, Jail, Balkar Singh Bhullar said the hand of some low-ranking jail employee in this could not be ruled out. He, however, claimed that Dimpa and his supporters were taking regular meals.

The former Congress MLA also levelled serious charges against district police chief Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh for abusing his authority to harass him. However, a spokesman of the SSP denied this.

The note further alleged that an attempt on the life of Balkar Singh Bal, chairman, Block Samiti, Rayya, was also made and the incident was sweeped under the carpet. It requested the Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court, and chairman, Human Rights Commission, Punjab, to visit the jail in this regard.

In a separate complaint to the Director General Police, Harpinderjit Singh, younger brother of Dimpa, has also sought his intervention in the allotment of cell in the jail. The DGP (Jails) has referred this representation to the jail superintendent.