30 jail inmates go on ‘fast’ in Panipat

Panipat, September 15

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As many as 30 inmates of the Panipat district jail, allegedly involved in heinous crimes, have been on a ‘fast’ for the last few days. Their families staged a protest outside the jail today. They alleged that jail officials demanded bribes and liquor from their wards lodged in the jail.

The Deputy Superintendent of the jail refuted the allegations, saying these inmates were lodged in a special cell (chakki) as they were involved in heinous crimes.

Authorities refute allegations

These inmates are lodged in a special cell as they were involved in heinous crimes. They are levelling false allegations to build unnecessary pressure on the jail authorities. —Jogender Deshwal, Jail DSP

The protesters were mainly from Kathura and Jagsi village of Gohana in Sonepat. Ramkumar of Jagasi village and Dharambir of Kathura village said officials demanded money and liquor from their sons. Ramkumar alleged that he had given Rs 14 lakh to the DSP after they lodged his son and some other inmates in a special cell and they were not allowed to move in the jail compound like other inmates.

Dharambir said he met his son in the jail and he had not eaten food for the last three days. He said his son had alleged torture by the jail administration.

Jogender Deshwal, DSP, Jail, refuted the allegations, saying it was only a tactic to put pressure on the jail authorities by these inmates.

Deshwal said a notorious gangster, Sandeep Pahal, his brother, some members of his gang, besides some other hardcore criminals were lodged in a special cell. Sandeep was involved in some three or four murder cases and two cases of mobile recovery were also registered against him, he said.

Deshwal said four mobiles had been recovered from Sandeep in March and one was recovered in abandoned condition near his cell in April. He said a CIA police team had been visiting the jail for the last two-three days to interrogate him on the basis of mobile call details.

Due to all these things, these inmates are levelling false allegations to build unnecessary pressure on the jail authorities, claimed the DSP.