37 gangsters shifted to ‘dead zone’ Bathinda jail, no mobile signal for 2km

Seven ‘A’ category dreaded gangsters have been brought here over the past week, including Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Neeta Deol and Dilpreet Baba. Six more gangsters will be brought here over the next two days

The Punjab jails department has shifted at least 37 dreaded gangsters to Central Jail, Bathinda, where a special ‘dead zone’ has been created. In this dead zone, there is no mobile connectivity, in a 2km radius. All communication from the Central Jail by the staff or prisoners (facility available at a fixed time) will be through landline.

The Special Task Force had mooted the idea of a creating a dead zone, by writing a letter to the prisons department in December last year. (HT file (photo for representation only))

Seven ‘A’ category dreaded gangsters have been brought here over the past week, including Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Neeta Deol and Dilpreet Baba. Six more gangsters will be brought here over the next two days.

The Punjab government, vide a notification that additional chief secretary (home) issued on March 10, has already notified a radius of 2km from the walls of the Bathinda Central Jail as a dead zone.

All telecom service providers have been sent this notice, asking these to stop all type of services in the notified area under Rule 2 of Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety), Rules, 2017.

The Special Task Force (STF) had mooted the idea of a creating a dead zone, by writing a letter to the prisons department in December last year.

Why was the need felt?

For the prisons department, controlling the operations of gangsters and other criminals through mobile phones from inside jails had become a major headache. There was a proposal to install jammers inside jails as well, but the government rejected it, citing its low efficacy.

The STF letter to the prisons department states that there has been numerous instances of misuse of mobile phones and smart phones by inmates to manage, plan, abet, conspire and assist in drug trafficking, cross-border trafficking of narcotics, smuggling of weapons, gang-related crime, extortion, murder and planning jail breaks.

“Many inmates involved in the these serious offences have been using mobile communication within jail premises to threaten and glorify themselves and their gangs. Some of the gangsters even claim responsibility for heinous crimes on various social media platforms,” suggested the STF.

Punjab jails minister Sukhjinder Randhawa said the Bathinda Central Jail which will now be a dead zone, will not have any option of mobile network, and if there will not no network, use of mobiles will end.

“Hardcore criminals will be shifted to 43 barracks in the jail and will be kept alone. These barricades will be guarded by the Central Reserve Police Force Battalions leaving, no scope of mingling of criminals with any ordinary guard,” said Randhawa, claiming that Punjab is the first state in the country to try this kind of experiment.

“Bathinda jail is located away from any major population area. Thus, it can easily be converted into a dead zone,” an STF official behind the proposal said.

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STRAP/BLURB

For the prisons department, controlling the operations of gangsters and other criminals through mobile phones from inside jails had become a major headache