4 hurt as inmates clash at Sriganganagar jail

A clash broke out among prisoners in the district jail of Sriganganagar, leaving four of them injured. The jail administration managed to control the miscreants even as some staff members were also hurt in the melee.

The four injured prisoners, identified as Ajay, Vijay Singh, Davinder Singh and Jaswant Singh, were taken to the District Civil Hospital where they were undergoing treatment, officials said today.

On the report of Laxman Singh, a guard, a case was registered against 19 prisoners on the charges of fighting, assaulting guards, obstructing duty and damaging government property. A recommendation has been made to higher authorities to transfer all 19 erring prisoners.

The police said the case was registered against Ishaan, alias Ishu, Anmol Chhabra and Anshul Chhabra, all brothers, Jaidev, Jagjit Singh, Beant Singh, Ajay, Davinder Singh, Jashandeep Singh, alias Jordan, Angrej Singh, Harpreet Singh Harry, Jatin Dagla, Amit Agarwal, Dharam Preet Singh Bhullar, Vijay Singh, Jyot Singh, alias Jyoti, Bhagwat Singh, Harpreet Singh and Himmat Singh under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

According to jail sources, about 50 prisoners were present in barrack number 6 at the time of the incident. Most of these prisoners are either convicts or undertrials in cases of murder, attempt to murder, rape and drug trafficking.

Jail officials and the police have started scrutinising the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the barrack to know what led to the clash.

At the time of the incident, Jail Superintendent Dr Abhishek Sharma had reportedly gone to Suratgarh subjail where a prisoner, Naseeb Singh, had allegedly ended his life by hanging.