Prisoner escapes from TB hospital

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 12

An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) was among two persons booked for dereliction of duty after a prisoner escaped from Government TB Hospital here on Friday.

The escapee prisoner was identified as Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukhpreet Singh alias Sarabjit Singh, of the New Gurnam Nagar area located on Sultanwind road here. He was booked by the police under the NDPS Act.

Besides the prisoner, the police booked ASI Gurlal Singh and head constable Sukhpal Singh.

According to information, on November 23, Sukhwinder suddenly got ill and was admitted to the ward number 4 of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here. A jail guard was deputed for his security so that he could not escape from the hospital. On November 26, police guards were changed and a new team consisting of ASI Gurlal and head constable Sukhpal was deputed there. On December 4, he was shifted to emergency ward of the Government TB hospital.

Sub-Inspector Kashmir Singh, the complainant in the case said that on Friday a police team visited the TB hospital to check the guard and the prisoner, they found them missing. He said it was found that the prisoner escaped due to negligence to the two cops and therefore a complaint was lodged with the Majitha road police.

A case under Sections 223 and 224 of the IPC has been registered against them while no arrest has been made so far. In the meanwhile, the city police arrested three jail wardens— Amritpal Singh, a resident of Pheruman, Jugraj Singh of Verka and Parminder Singh of Kamoke village—in connection with fleeing of another prisoner Baldev Singh escaped from Guru Nanak Dev Hospital on Thursday. Baldev Singh, alias Desa, a resident of Fatehabad, Tarn Taran, was lodged in jail under the NDPS Act case registered with the Goindwal police in April last year.

As per details, he was admitted to the GND hospital after his health condition deteriorated and medical officer at jail referred him to the hospital in the intervening night of December 6 and 7. The jail guards also accompanied him to the hospital for security. On Thursday, the hospital authorities informed the jail authorities that the accused fled away through window of washrooms. Following this a case was registered against the prisoner and also against jail wardens for dereliction of duty.

Man found dead at Kamboh police station, suicide suspected

Amritsar: Pritam Singh, a resident of Makam village, who was allegedly arrested by the police on the charge of drug-peddling, was found dead inside the Kamboh police station here on Saturday. A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident. While the police claimed that he committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling, the family members alleged that he could not end his life in this manner. The police handed over the body to the family after a postmortem. Kulwinder Kaur, wife of the victim, told mediapersons that Pritam Singh ran a grocery shop in the village. She said he, along with his brother Sawinder Singh, was arrested by the police allegedly for drug peddling on Friday though no drugs were found from their possession. She said today the police informed that he committed suicide by hanging himself in the storeroom of the police station. She demanded action against the cops who were responsible for Pritam’s death. SP Baldev Singh said a case was registered against Pritam Singh at the Ajnala police station. He said he, along with Sawinder, was arrested on Friday. In the evening, he felt uneasiness in the lock-up and was shifted to storeroom by a head constable where he committed suicide. In the morning, he was found hanging from the iron grill of the storeroom. He said a magisterial probe into the incident was under way. TNS