Gangsters thrash sacrilege accused in Ludhiana jail

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 23

Gangsters lodged in the Central Jail here thrashed an inmate, Jagjit Singh, who is accused of committing sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, late on Friday evening.

In a Facebook post, gangster Davinder Bambiha’s group claimed responsibility for the attack. Jail officials conducted a search of the barracks of gangsters to check if they had mobile phones, but none were recovered.

The Jail Department has forwarded the case to the Ludhiana police for further investigation.

Shamsher Singh Boparai, Jail Superintendent, said five gangsters uprooted an iron pipe from the bathroom and beat up Jagjit Singh with it. Head warder Pargat Singh sustained injuries when jail officials tried to save Jagjit.

Jagjit is facing a case under Section 295-A of the IPC, registered at Balachaur police station, Nawanshahr, on June 12.

The accused gangsters have been identified as Harsimran Preet Singh, Simarjit Singh Bablu, Gurpreet Singh Gopi, Amaninder Singh and Mandeep Singh.

Gopi belongs to the Dilpreet Baba gang, while Harsimran is a member of the Davinder Bambiha gang.

Boparai said Jagjit had suffered a fracture on the right leg, adding that he had been admitted to the Civil Hospital.

Violence behind bars

• June 11-12: Undertrial Parkash Singh Lallu strangled to death by fellow inmate Deepak Dalia
• March 29: Four inmates attack jail guard when he intervenes in a scuffle between prisoners
• March 20: Jail inmates clash over use of washroom. Gangster Sukha Barewalia injured

(All incidents in Ludhiana Central Jail)