Scuffle among inmates leaves 6 hurt inside jail

Bathinda, February 9

Six prisoners were injured in a scuffle that broke out between two groups inside the high-security Bathinda Central Jail here on Sunday. The injured were taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment.

The injured were identified as Parveen Singh of Bareta, Surjit Singh of Burj Mehma, Karanjit Singh of Makhu, Parvinder Singh of Patiala, Mallu Singh of Dhobiana Basti and Ranvir Singh of Kheta Singh Basti.

According to information, earlier, members of two groups had exchanged heated arguments, but jail staff managed to control the situation. But on Sunday morning, they came out of their barracks and exchanged blows, leaving six inmates injured. Even last week, a scuffle had broken out among inmates inside the jail. One of the inmates, who got injured, was taken to the Civil Hospital.

The Central Jail had been in the news for wrong reasons in the past. Last year, the police had busted an extortion racket, which was being run by gangsters from inside the jail.

Gangsters Harvinder Bhinda and Amritpal Singh, who were arrested during a police encounter at Gulabgarh village in the district in 2017, along with their two aides, had called up a Rajasthan-based businessman over the phone from inside the jail and demanded Rs25 lakh. They had also threatened to kill him, if he failed to pay the amount.

In the past two years, more than 100 mobile phones with SIM cards had been seized from different barracks of the jail.

Sources in the Central Jail said in many cases, relatives of prisoners had given mobile phones to inmates during their hearings in court. It is learned that cellphones helped criminals threaten witnesses, besides making plans to escape from the jail.

Sometimes, prisoners extort money while staying in the jail. On the other hand, the project to install a mobile jammer at the Central Jail still remains on paper, apparently due to lack of funds. — TNS