After videos of Ludhiana central jail inmates purportedly enjoying booze inside the barracks went viral on social media, additional director general of police (ADGP, prisons) PK Sinha and deputy inspector general (DIG, prisons) Surjit Singh Saini reached the prison to carry out a probe. They scanned the barracks and also questioned the jail officials.
The ADGP said the video seems to have been recorded on May 2 or 3 and uploaded later by one of the inmates. He added that the cops are probing how the liquor had reached the jail premises. The statements of jail officials have also been recorded. The ADGP said that if the involvement of any jail official is found during investigation, stern action will be taken against the erring official.
One of the inmates caught in the viral video is self-proclaimed gangster Manwinder Singh alias Nikka Jattana of Jattana village of Mansa. Jattana had been caught using a mobile phone in jail in June 2020 as well. PK Sinha maintained that Jattana has not been categorised as a gangster by Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU).
Sinha said Jattana and his accomplices had been brought on production warrant by the Division Number 3 police on June 12, 2020 in connection with a firing incident outside the house of Rishav alias Nannu, who faces an attempt to murder case. Both Jattana and Nannu were lodged in the Ludhiana central jail at the time. Jattana had taken responsibility for the attack through a Facebook post. According to the police, the accused had uploaded the post from jail.
{{/usCountry}}Sinha said Jattana and his accomplices had been brought on production warrant by the Division Number 3 police on June 12, 2020 in connection with a firing incident outside the house of Rishav alias Nannu, who faces an attempt to murder case. Both Jattana and Nannu were lodged in the Ludhiana central jail at the time. Jattana had taken responsibility for the attack through a Facebook post. According to the police, the accused had uploaded the post from jail.
{{/usCountry}}As per information, around a week ago, jail officials had recovered a mobile phone and hookah from the jail on May 9. Instead of investigating the matter, police lodged an FIR against an inmate Neeraj Kumar.
Past controversy
On April 20, Rajiv Arora, superintendent of Ludhiana central jail, was suspended for welcoming Punjabi singer Karan Aujla and giving him VVIP treatment. Karan Aujla along with his friends had visited Ludhiana central jail on April 8 and met jail superintendent Rajiv Arora in his office. The matter had reached the ADGP after it came to light that the security officials did not check if Aujla and his friends were carrying mobile phones.
Arora was replaced by Balkar Singh, who was superintendent at Gurdaspur jail.