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Sangrur jail inmates post video accusing superintendent of seeking bribe, probe on
Five undertrials and two convicts are seen in the video.
Hours after a video, shot by seven inmates of the district jail on the premises, accusing the jail superintendent of demanding ₹1 lakh bribe for not implicating them in false cases went viral on social media on Saturday, SSP Sandeep Garg has ordered a probe into the claims.
Five undertrials and two convicts are seen in the video. This also raises questions on how did they manage to smuggle a mobile inside the jail, even as the authorities claim the prisons are heavily guarded. “I have told the SP (headquarters) to probe these allegations and also the use of mobiles inside jails,” SSP Garg said. Taking note of the video, AIG (jails) Manjit Singh Kalra inspected the jail and met the inmates seen in the video.
The inmates are Gurpreet Singh of Dhanaula; Mandeep Singh of Bugran; Gurpayar Singh of Ugrahan; Makhan Singh of Kheri Jattan; Gurwinder Singh of Togawal; Gurbeant Singh from Chahar and Ranjit Singh, of Kourian. “Recently, mobiles were recovered from us. The jail superintendent demanded ₹1 lakh bribe for not booking us in false cases. When we expressed out inability, he confined us into a small cell of 8ft by 8ft. We are living in miserable conditions,” they allege in the video.
Jail authorities claim that the men are facing cases under the NDPS Act and even for attempt to murder. They also point to the fact that Makhan and Gurwinder are convicts.
“They had formed a gang, even inside jail. Twice, we have recovered mobile phones from them on the premises. They have also assaulted a numberdar Jiwan Lal,” said jail superintendent, Iqbal Singh Brar, adding that he was being targeted as he did not allow them to use mobiles inside the jail.
“On Friday, we recovered two more mobiles, on which they have purportedly shot the video. They were kept in a separate cell, but not in miserable conditions. We will write to the City Police to file a case against them,” Brar added.
