Hoshiarpur jail faces staff crunch

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, March 29

Though after seeing the recent incidents of violence and jailbreak attempts, prisons in the state are put on a high alert, the ground reality is quite different in the Hoshiarpur Central Jail.

The Hoshiarpur jail authorities say they are prepared to check any untoward incident, but staff shortage has put a question mark on their claim as there is one guard per 100 inmates.

Earlier, it was a district jail and there were around 80 posts of jail guard. Around half of the sanctioned posts are still lying vacant. Even the three high-security zones, where notorious gangsters like Daljit Singh Bhana and Kala Dhanaula are lodged, have just one guard each.

The abandoned quarters of the Police Lines behind the jail too pose a security threat as gangsters Daljit Bhana, Ranbir Sandhu, Dalbir Singh and Satish Gill have written to the Jail Superintendent.

The Jail superintendent had written to the SSP to get the area cleaned of shrubs and trees. He said anti-social elements had been throwing prohibited things in jail from there. Due to staff crunch, one out of six watch towers remains unguarded causing non-surveillance of a large part of the jail.

Sources said the Jail Superintendent had written to the ADGP (Prisons) in this regard. In the letter, (copy of which is with The Tribune) he has apprehended that gangsters have their sleeping cells in different jails, including Hoshiarpur jail and in case of any rioting or protests, they might become active.

The Jail Superintendent in his letter had urged the ADGP to provide at least 100 more jail guards.

He had written that there was a need of six assistant jail superintendents whereas there were only two. The sources said the Jail Superintendent had also met the Deputy Commissioner in this regard.

“We are doing our best under the available staff and resources. The jail has been put on a high alert and two attempts to throw prohibited goods have been foiled by the jail guards recently,” the Jail Superintendent said.