Lahore, July 31: Authorities dismissed a city Police Chief and his deputy and arrested three prison officials following a violent uprising last week at a jail that left eight people dead, including three judges who had been held hostage, the government said today. The judges and five rebellious prisoners died when police commandos stormed the Sialkot jail in eastern Pakistan on Friday to end the standoff. A special probe held Sialkot Police Chief Malik Iqbal, his deputy and three other jail officials responsible for "making haste in ordering the operation," said Shoaib bin Aziz, a provincial government spokesmen. The rioting prisoners were facing trial on charges of kidnap for ransom.
It is yet not clear how they got the weapons used in the uprising. Overall, nine visiting judges and about 50 female inmates were held hostage. The other hostages all survived the incident.
The commandos were called in when the prisoners reportedly warned that they would kill the judges.
The maximum-security prison, 100 kilometers northeast of Lahore, is badly overcrowded. It was built for 1,800 prisoners but currently houses 2,700 prisoners, including 200 women.
The judges were on a routine inspection to examine conditions at the jail.