Situation in Punjab’s Faridkot jail `under control`

A day after violence erupted over death of an undertrial in district jail, Faridkot Jail Superintendent JP Singh said the situation is completely under control.

Faridkot: A day after violence erupted over the death of an undertrial in district jail here, Faridkot Jail Superintendent JP Singh on Tuesday said the situation is completely under control now.

Seven personnel of the district jail were injured, two of them seriously, when an unruly group of prisoners yesterday resorted to pelting stones and bricks protesting the death of an undertrial under suspicious circumstances yesterday. Sessions and District Judge Archan Puri visited the jail for conducting a judicial probe into the incident as Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had yesterday ordered a magisterial enquiry, Singh said. He said the jail canteen suffered heavy loss as it was set ablaze by violent inmates. Harsha Singh (65), who was facing trial under the NDPS Act and had been transferred from Muktsar jail to Faridkot jail a few days ago, died last morning, triggering the violent protests by jail inmates. Three undertrials lodged in the jail here have died due to various reasons during the past one week. The exact cause of Harsha`s death would be established after receiving post mortem report, JP Singh said. A case has been registered against six jail inmates who started the trouble. PTI