Bathinda: Drugs available in jail, claim inmates; staff call it blackmail

Tribune News Service

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Bathinda, April 9

Weeks after an interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, shot allegedly at Bathinda jail, surfaced, another viral video purportedly showing inmates flashing mobile phones and alleging supply of drugs inside the jail has put the authorities in the dock even as an FIR has been registered in this regard.

Interestingly, the video went viral on social media after the police on April 4 booked 13 undertrials for allegedly defaming the Prisons Department. As per the FIR, the inmates, after getting hold of a phone and recording the clip, threatened the jail authorities to provide them mobile phones, drugs and other things. They later sent the clip to a Ludhiana resident presently based in Canada to make it viral. The FIR states the video was shot at a “common block” and not inside the “high security zone” where hardcore prisoners have been lodged. Those named in the FIR are Mani Paras, Bhupinder Kumar, Gurjeet Singh, Harjeet Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Harpal, Harbant Singh, Navtej Singh, Manjeet Singh, Ranjodh Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Jaspreet Singh and Balram Singh.

A Bathinda Jail official said, “This is an attempt to defame the jail authorities. An FIR has already been registered on our complaint.”

Bathinda Cantonment police station in-charge Gurdeep Singh said the case was being investigated. “The video went viral from Canada. Six of those named in the FIR have been shifted to other jails,” he said.

FIR against 13

• 13 undertrials booked for ‘defaming’ Prisons Dept
• Inmates ‘tried to blackmail’ jail staff, sought mobiles, drugs

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