Inmates Celebrate Birthday Party Inside Ludhiana Central Jail; Video Goes Viral on Social Media
Rules inside the jails of Punjab are violated often, in this instance, a video of inmates allegedly celebrating a birthday party inside Ludhiana Central Jail went viral on social media on Thursday.
The inmates allegedly shot the video on a mobile phone and then proceeded to upload it on social media, raising questions about the surveillance levels inside the jail.
In the viral video, a group of inmates were seen sitting together and enjoying a feast. They could be heard saying, Aajj sadde Mani veer da birthday hai… (It’s our brother Mani’s birthday today).
Shivraj Singh, Ludhiana jail superintendent, revealed that the video was shot on December 21 during the birthday celebration of Arun Kumar, also known as Anil alias Mani, who is currently under trial for a 2019 robbery case.
They were having tea and pakora. After we discovered they had shot the video, we confiscated the cellphone from Mani the next day. An FIR was also registered against him, Singh informed Indian Express. However, the authorities could not access any data from the broken cellphone.
The jail superintendent also mentioned that the Ludhiana Central Jail currently lacks jammers, which raises concerns about the access to phones, mobile networks, and even internet connections by the inmates. He added, A request has been sent to the government to get them installed.
Mani, the inmate whose birthday was being celebrated, deliberately broke the phone before officials could confiscate it.
As a result, an FIR was registered against Mani under section 52-A (1) of the Prison Act at the Division Number 7 police station.
In response to this incident, senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu criticized the Punjab Chief Minister. He took to a microblogging site and wrote, Where are the five G jammers to sanitize jails, Honorable jail minister @BhagwantMann? One man should be responsible for six prisoners according to the jail manual. But in Punjab jails, one individual is controlling 26. That is how understaffed your prisons are, failed jail minister, and you talk employment? Wake up, janaab…
These violations are not isolated incidents. Several past instances have highlighted similar issues in Ludhiana Central Jail:
– December 8, 2023: Jailed Punjab Youth Congress leader Savottam Singh alias Lucky Sandhu was seen dancing at a marriage ceremony in Ludhiana after being taken for a medical checkup. Two jail officers were suspended for dereliction of duty after the incident.
– December 8, 2023: A drug racket was busted inside the Ludhiana jail, resulting in the seizure of 4.5 kg heroin and Rs 1.40 lakh drug money.
– October 5, 2023: Ludhiana Borstal Jail keeper Ankit Kumar was booked and suspended for allegedly taking bribes from inmates to allow them to smuggle drugs, tobacco, etc.
– June 6, 2023: Shubham alias Ganju, an inmate under trial in a drugs case, died under mysterious circumstances inside the Ludhiana jail.
– April 2023: Inmates of the Ludhiana jail were booked for selling and buying mobiles for Rs 10,000 each.
These incidents raise serious concerns about the security and management within the Ludhiana Central Jail. It is imperative that the authorities take immediate action to enhance surveillance, install jammers, and ensure strict adherence to the rules and regulations to prevent such violations in the future.
