No change after three years of jail violence

Ludhiana: On June 27, 2019, violence in Ludhiana Central Jail exposed the poor arrangements, and CRPF personnel were deployed to ensure better security and order. However, things have not improved on the ground.
In the jail violence, over 3,000 inmates had refused to go inside the barracks over the death of an inmate and they had also pelted staffers with stones and bricks picked up from construction work going on inside the premises. In the several videos captured by the inmates, which had gone viral, they were seen carrying sharp-edged weapons. The jail authorities and the local police had to fire several gunshots to control the situation. One inmate had died and many had suffered injuries. The inmates had also put an LPG cylinder on fire, causing a blast, and torched the jail superintendent’s vehicle. Amidst the melee, one inmate had escaped.
Five months later in November 2019, a team of 76 CRPF personnel was deployed.
The recent incident of assault on inmate Shubham Arora, a former Congress leader lodged in jail in a murder bid case, has again exposed the chinks. Arora was attacked with sharp-edged weapons. It was alleged that an ice-pick was also used to attack him. When Arora was being assaulted, some other inmates rushed there, thrashed the accused, and rescued him. The next day, one jail inmate, who had allegedly assaulted Arora with his accomplices, uploaded a post on his Instagram account, boasting of the attack.
In these three years, several videos of the inmates have gone viral. Besides, the special task force has also busted many gangs running drug rackets from inside the prison, clearly showing how prohibited stuff was accessible to the inmates.
A retired jail superintendent, requesting anonymity, said, “Jails are overcrowded and the number of security personnel is low, so they cannot be deployed outside each barrack. Unless we have the required number of security personnel and enough CCTVs, we cannot keep a check on inmates. Inmates don’t have big weapons, but use steel sheets or any other metallic objects and then sharpen them.”
“The role of some jail staffers in helping inmates get prohibited stuff cannot be ruled out. First, they should have adequate numbers of security personnel and then they must make a rule to transfer them after some time. Jammers and body scanners are also a must. Another important aspect is to have a detailed investigation by the police in all the cases of clashes and mobile recoveries,” he added.
Jail minister Harjot Singh Bains and ADGP, prisons, Harpreet Sidhu could not be contacted.