Central Jail gets CRPF security

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 26

A company of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrived at the Bathinda Central Jail here on Tuesday. The company, comprising 64 jawans, has been deployed in different parts of the jail to strengthen security. The CRPF jawans, along with Punjab Police personnel, will look after the security of the jail.

Balwinder Singh, Superintendent, Bathinda Central Jail, confirmed the development and said the deployment of CRPF jawans would help curb sneaking of mobiles, contraband and other prohibited material into the high-security jail. He said besides, the move would help check violence inside the premises.

Officials on Tuesday briefed the CRPF personnel on the functioning the jail. Apart from this, the CRPF jawans were apprised of illegal activities, mostly carried out by inmates.

It is learnt that the Union Home Ministry had sanctioned four CRPF companies for Bathinda, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Kapurthala jails in July this year.

The state government had demanded deployment of paramilitary forces after nefarious activities, including sneaking of prohibited materials, were reported from central jails.

In the past three years, more than 100 mobile phones with SIM cards have been seized from various barracks of the jail. Cases in this regard have been registered at the Nathana and Cantonment police stations.

The incidents of mobile phones and drugs seizures are going on unabated in the Bathinda Central Jail. It has also raised a serious question on the functioning of the jail authorities. Moreover, incidents of clashes between rival groups of gangsters have also been reported inside the jail. Recently, a gangster attacked a jail warder and threatened him for not allowing him to go to another barrack.

On November 16, the Amritsar Central Jail had become the first one in Punjab to get a CRPF company. Besides the Bathinda jail, Ludhiana jail has received CRPF security.

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