Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has ordered a ministerial inquiry.

The police was able to bring the situation under control past midnight with inmates returning to their barracks.

The trouble began when the prisoners came out of their barracks for lunch at 12 noon. As soon as they learnt that an ailing inmate, Dev Raj from Nakodar, had died “awaiting proper treatment”, they went berserk and beat up Jail Superintendent Surinder Singh Saini.

In subsequent firing, an inmate was killed, triggering violent clashes between the prisoners and the security staff. The jail hospital and the main gate was put on fire.

Agitated inmates also set ablaze LPG cylinders in the kitchen. There were also unconfirmed reports that over a dozen jail officials were held hostage by the inmates.

The police officers, led by Shashi Kant, IG Gaurav Yadav, DIG Parmod Ban and Kapurthala SSP SS Maan, managed to go inside the the inner part of the jail only after 11 pm after holding several rounds of parleys with the representatives of anguished inmates.

Finally, peace prevailed and security staff was able to put the prisoners in their respective barracks again.

Earlier, smoke was seen billowing out from the jail hospital and shots, apparently fired by the police and the jail staff, could be heard till 4.30 pm. There was sporadic firing from 4.30 pm to 7 pm.

The death of Dev Raj because of “lack of treatment” is said to be the second such case. An inmate from Bolina village in Jalandhar had died on November 16. One of the ultra-modern and high-tech jails in the region, the jail was opened by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on November 3.

“Police officials started raining bullets on the inmates holding a peaceful protest against the delay in treatment to Baldev Raj,” claimed Parvinder Singh, who was admitted to the Kapurthala Civil Hospital. “Most of us were hit in the legs. The jail staff treat us like animals,” alleged another injured inmate.

A judicial probe has been ordered into the incident, DC Harkesh Singh Sidhu said. Those injured in the police firing have been identified as Baldev Singh, Sandeep Kumar, Narinder Sabi, Gurnam Singh, Satbir Singh, Bipin, Wariam Singh, Gaurav, Sukhbir Singh, Rajvinder Singh, Yogi, Amarjit, Parvinder Singh, Gurdial Singh, Harjinder Singh, Jasbir Kaur, Inderjit Singh, Lalita, Meena Kumari and Balwinder. Six of the seriously injured inmates have been referred to Guru Ramdas Hospital, Amritsar.