...45 prisoners died in Kapurthala jail in 2014

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 26

In a shocking revelation that has come to light through an RTI reply, 45 prisoners lodged in the Kapurthala Modern Jail died in 2014. Even more shocking is the fact that the authorities are still not clear about the cause of death of 42 inmates so far.

Information obtained by this correspondent under the Right to Information Act has confirmed that out of 45 deaths in the jail from January to December 2014, the cause of death of only three persons is known till date with the status shown as “pending” for the rest of them.

The jail authorities have cited heart attack, pulmonary tuberculosis and respiratory failure as the cause of death of three inmates, namely Des Raj, Mohan Singh and Gurdial Singh.

The State Human Rights Commission is already conducting investigations into these cases, the reply mentions.

On several occasions in the past, kin of the prisoners who died in the jail had pointed fingers at the jail authorities. However, the role of the jail staff has been never established so far. The parents of gangster Sukha Kahlon, who was shot dead in police custody on January 21 near Phagwara by rival gangsters, had recently alleged that their elder son had died due to police negligence in the jail.

84 FIRs against prisoners

Eighty-four FIRs have been registered against prisoners lodged in the jail for consuming and supplying drugs, using mobile phones and other prohibited items. Three members of the jail staff, Lakhbir Singh, Ajmer Singh and Kuldeep Singh, were also booked in 2014 for allegedly supplying drugs and other prohibited items in the jail. Out of 84 FIRs, 37 cases were registered against prisoners for consuming and smuggling drugs in the jail, four were booked for engaging in internal disputes while 43 were booked for carrying mobile phone.

A hue and cry was raised against the jail authorities in the past when dreaded gangster Sukha Kahlon uploaded a video showing him brutally beating up a fellow prisoner named Jimmy in the Kapurthala jail on September 26, 2013. Another video titled “Rocky Kaand” was also uploaded on September 23, 2013. That video was shot outside the jail. It showed the victim being beaten up with sticks. Gangster Sukha had over a dozen Facebook accounts that he allegedly used to upload videos from the jail.