Faridkot, April 22
Over 1,800 prisoners lodged in the Model Jail today indulged in rioting and arson over the death of an inmate, a third in the past fortnight. The prisoners attacked the jail staff, ransacked the jail canteen and kitchen, and threatened to set LPG cylinders on fire.

Over 10 jail officials were injured as they were attacked with spades, bricks and stones. Assistant Jail Superintendent Amrik Singh suffered serious head injuries after being hit with a brick and was taken to the Medical College.

The jail guards used teargas shells to control the situation and prevent prisoners from heading for the jail exit. Some prisoners tried to break out by heading straight for the exit area, said Jagjit Singh, Inspector-General (Jails).

The IG, DIG and other judicial officers arrived at the jail after over one hour of arson.

The prisoners turned violent after the death of 65-year-old Harsa Singh, an accused in a narcotics case, this morning. Harsa was shifted to the Faridkot jail from Muktsar on April 19. He belonged to the Lambi area and was a history-sheeter with 22 cases registered over the past 30 years.

A large number of inmates attacked Jail Superintendent JP Singh as soon as he arrived in the barrack where Harsa’s body was kept. The prisoners accused the jail staff of not providing adequate medical aid to the victim.

Over 1,000 prisoners armed with stones and spades charged at the jail officials, who were forced to take shelter in the main entrance area of the jail. The angry prisoners took over most of the prison and started fires in record room, canteen, a fire tender, and carts besides ransacking the kitchen.

After over 40 minutes of arson, the jail guards used tear gas and shotguns to subdue prisoners.

The prisoners then picked up over 25 LPG cylinders from the kitchen and threatened to set these on fire. As additional force was called in from adjoining Moga and Muktsar districts, the prisoners locked themselves in their barracks.

Faridkot Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat and Senior Superintendent of Police GS Toor visited the jail and prevailed upon the inmates to open the barrack doors after three hours of negotiations.

The police started its investigation after rounding up over 40 prisoners, said IG (Jails) Jagjit Singh. Some of the prisoners were notorious offenders.

During search, the jail staff found burnt silver foils, usually used by drug addicts to snort smack and heroin.

While prisoners accused the jail staff of providing inadequate medical facilities, doctors and paramedical staff in the jail hospital said they had been receiving threats from certain inmates for not providing them with sedatives and tranquilisers.

As the jail hospital was situated in the centre of the jail compound, it exposed the doctors and paramedical staff, including five women nurses, to high risk. “Our main concern is to find out the cause of the attack and ensure that similar attacks do not happen in the future. We also want to ensure the safety of our staff,” the IG said.

The Faridkot jail houses a large number drug smugglers and hardcore criminals transferred from prisons in Gurdaspur, Moga, Muktsar, Ferozepur and Batala.