Jail official indicted by probe let off

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 27

Jails Minister Sohan Singh Thandal has reportedly let off Deputy Superintendent, Jails, Baljit Singh, with a warning after drugs were recovered from the Fazilka sub-jail in 2013, where the officer was posted.

Thandal overruled probe reports conducted by a senior IPS officer and an IAS officer attached with the department that had recommended that “his (Baljit Singh’s) annual promotions be withheld”.

In recent orders dated August 20, Principal Secretary (Jails) Sanjay Kumar has ordered that Baljit Singh be let off with a warning as “is desired by the Jail Minister. The minister in his orders has written that SSP, Fazilka, has blamed three jail officials who took money in the name of Baljit Singh, he said quoting a report by SP (D) Balvir Singh.

The jail minister has written that since direct meeting with inmates can only be held by wardens therefore only they are responsible for such an incident.

Senior officers said the minister’s “clean chit” to the officer came as a surprise to many in the department as the additional DGP (Jails) had recommended that the official’s three promotions be withheld.

Thandal said he did not recall any such order passed by him as he cleared 50 files a day. “I look after five departments and do not recall all my files. I will cross check Baljit Singh’s case,” he said.