NRI’s death: Inmates want jail officials booked

Tuesday, 26/08/2014

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140826/punjab.htm#19

Gurdaspur : A day after the custodial death of NRI Prabhjot Singh, around 40 jail inmates who were lodged in the same barrack as the NRI said contempt of court proceedings should be initiated against jail officials, including Jail Superintendent DK Sidhu, for ignoring orders of the District and Sessions Judge.

On August 19, the Gurdaspur District and Sessions Judge had passed an order following an application by Prabhjot's counsel Karanjit Singh that the NRI should be sent to some good hospital for treatment keeping in view his serious medical condition.

The jail officials did not act on the application for more than 72 hours claiming that the Batala police did not provide security guards to accompany Prabhjot to an Amritsar hospital.

The Jail Superintendent cited rules that said they could move out Prabhjot for treatment only after they got security personnel from the Batala police. The NRI was move out of jail on August 22 when they got guards. "The jail officials erred despite the fact that the District and Sessions Judge passed an order on August 19, asking the authorities to take Prabhjot to an Amritsar hospital," said the inmates in a signed statement.

Batala SSP Manminder Singh said, "The jail officials are trying to cover up their misdeeds. The Batala police has a posse of five guards permanently posted at the jail, specifically for the purpose of escorting inmates whenever they have to travel outside the prison."

The prisoners said Prabhjot Singh was with them for the past nine months. "He was taken ill on August 13 following which he was taken to the jail hospital. Since the facilities at the hospital are not up to the mark, his condition kept on deteriorating with every passing day. Despite the District and Sessions Judge's instructions to move him out on August 19, the jail officials did not follow the order. We asked Assistant Superintendent Johar Singh to shift Prabhjot, but he said he was unable to do so as all major decisions are to be taken by the Jail Superintendent. We also staged a protest in front of the Jail Superintendent's office, but to no avail," jail inmates said.

Their allegations were refuted by DK Sidhu. He claimed the authorities did their best to save Prabhjot Singh. "No protest was ever held in front of my office by the inmates. They are telling lies and their allegations are baseless and illogical," he said.

Court orders not followed?

Prabhjot Singh* Forty jail inmates who shared the barrack with NRI Prabhjot Singh said he was sick since August 13, but the jail authorities did not take timely action to save his life

They said the jail officials did not move despite the fact that the District and Sessions Judge had told them to take Prabhjot to an Amritsar hospital on August 19

Jail Superintendent DK Sidhu, however, claimed the inmates were telling lies and their allegations were baseless and illogical.

Another jail inmate dead

Daniel of Mission Compound who was serving a sentence in connection with an NDPS case died in the Civil Hospital on Monday morning. "Daniel started vomiting blood at the dead of night following which we shifted him to the Civil Hospital where he breathed his last. Since this was an emergency case, we did not wait for the police guard to arrive. We sent Daniel to the Civil Hospital in our own van. He was accompanied by jail guards," said Jail Superintendent DK Sidhu.