CHANDIGARH: Three inmates were injured after a clash broke out among prisoners at the high-security Central Jail in Kapurthala late on Saturday night, triggering chaos inside Barrack 4 as inmates brandished iron rods and sticks and climbed onto the jail rooftop.
Punjab Police on Sunday said normalcy had been restored after police and jail authorities lobbed teargas shells and carried out a cane charge to bring the situation under control.
Sources said iron rods, sticks and mobile phones were seized from hardened inmates who ran amok following the clash inside the jail. Police used teargas shells and grenades to rein in the inmates and bring them back to their barracks. While two inmates sustained injuries during the clash, another was injured after being hit by a teargas shell. No police personnel or jail staff were injured.
There are around 4,000 inmates lodged in the Kapurthala jail.
A senior police officer said jail authorities initially tried to intervene and prevent the inmates from fighting. However, the inmates attempted to manhandle and scuffle with officials. Police said an FIR would be registered in connection with the incident.
Videos of the violence went viral on social media, showing small fires inside the jail premises and inmates walking on the rooftop carrying sticks and rods while recording videos on mobile phones.
The videos also showed vandalised sections of the jail, with fires at several places and damaged walls and boundaries. While some inmates claimed there had been a jailbreak and that shots had been fired, police denied the allegations and said no inmate had escaped and no gunshots were fired during the incident.
Security personnel remained deployed at the jail until the early hours of Sunday as police and jail authorities worked to restore order. It took several hours for the Kapurthala police and jail administration to bring the situation under control.
Police said normalcy returned to the jail complex after an hour long operation conducted around 2 am on Sunday.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora, said all inmates had been brought back to their barracks and the situation was now under control.
“A heavy police force was deployed after information was received from jail authorities about a clash among inmates inside the jail. Three inmates who were injured during the clash and due to tear gas shells have been admitted to hospital and are under treatment,” he said.
“The incident happened last night after a fight broke out between a group of inmates in Barrack 4 of Phase I of the Kapurthala jail. Hardened criminals, who have three to five criminal cases against them, were lodged in this barrack,” he said, while clarifying that there was no jailbreak and no gunshots were fired during the incident.
“Amid heavy deployment of force, the inmates who were on the roof until late were brought back, and deliberations continued till the wee hours,” he said, adding that some inmates had also set fire to material outside their barracks.
Toora said some inmates broke the gate and iron grill leading to the rooftop of the barrack. He added that rivalry among inmates could have led to the clash.
Asked how inmates were seen carrying sticks and rods, he said, “We are dealing with hardened criminals who are facing serious charges. They removed iron grills and tried to use them as rods.”
Questioned about how inmates recorded and shared videos on social media despite the presence of mobile jammers, Toora said the matter was under investigation.
“We have seized the mobile phones. We will conduct their technical analysis. After registering an FIR, we will get to the bottom of the matter,” he said.
He rejected allegations made by some inmates that jail staff had assaulted them and said all inmates had been accounted for.
“A detailed search operation of Block 4 was conducted on Sunday and a large number of iron rods, sticks and other items, which inmates were brandishing, were recovered,” he said.
Asked whether there had been any negligence on the part of jail authorities, Toora said there was no such lapse.
“The jail authorities immediately responded to the situation and helped in bringing it under control. As per law, action will be taken against those inmates who created the ruckus and those who used mobile phones inside the jail premises,” he added.
Asked whether the inmates involved would be shifted, Toora said the jail authorities were considering the move.
Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa criticised the AAP government and said, “Kapurthala jail violence last night has once again exposed the collapsing law and order situation in Punjab. If even high security jails are turning into battlegrounds, what message does it send to common citizens?”
“CM @BhagwantMann should come forward and accept his failure. Punjab deserves safety, accountability and strong governance, not chaos,” Randhawa said in a post on X.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also criticised the AAP government over the incident.
“Punjab’s jails are no longer correction centres. Under @BhagwantMann’s government, they have turned into battlegrounds for criminals,” he said.
