Accident – Death – Obituary News : PATIALA: A violent clash erupted among inmates in the Sangrur jail in Punjab, resulting in the tragic deaths of two prisoners and leaving two others injured. The incident, which took place late on Friday evening, has sent shockwaves through the community and raised concerns about the safety and security within the prison walls.
According to police reports, a group of inmates from Sangrur jail broke out of their barrack, launched an attack on on-duty police officers, and proceeded to barge into another barrack where they targeted their rival inmates with sharp-edged weapons. The chaos and bloodshed that ensued led to the untimely demise of Dharminder Ghora and Mohammad Haris, both hailing from Malerkotla.
In response to the violence, authorities swiftly took action by arresting eight prisoners allegedly involved in the clash. The Punjab Human Rights Commission has also intervened, directing the additional director-general of police (prisons) to submit a detailed report on the incident before the next hearing scheduled for May 10th.
The accused individuals have been identified as Simranjit Singh of Rasulpur Kular, Amritsar; Amandeep Singh, Satgur Singh, Simranjit Singh, and Gurdhian Singh, all residents of Sangrur; Manjinder Singh Kala of Faridkot; Arshdeep Singh of Bhikhi, Mansa; and Dilprit Singh of Tarn Taran. While some of them have previous records of murder and attempted murder cases, none of the accused are classified as gangsters.
The two injured victims, Sehbaz Goma from Malerkotla and Gagandeep Singh from Hamidi, are currently receiving medical treatment at Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. Sartaj Singh Chahal, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Sangrur, addressed the media stating that the clash stemmed from longstanding conflicts between the inmate groups and clarified that the assailants were not recognized as gangsters.
“The accused individuals engaged in the altercation with the other group due to an old rivalry. None of them fall under the category of gangsters as per the defined criteria. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway,” SSP Chahal asserted.
The incident at Sangrur jail serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by the prison authorities in maintaining order and preventing outbreaks of violence. The tragic loss of lives and the injuries sustained highlight the urgent need for enhanced security measures and conflict resolution strategies within the prison system to ensure the safety of both inmates and staff members..