Hoshiarpur jail superintendent suspended for beating up prisoner

Hoshiarpur central jail superintendent Joginder Pal Singh has been placed under suspension for beating up a prisoner, Harinderpal Singh, alias Hinda, of Mohadipur, who is serving a life term in a murder case.

A case was registered under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against unnamed jail officials.

The inmate, through his counsel, had filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court, alleging physical harassment at the hands of jail staff. He claimed that he was mercilessly beaten up on October 31, first in the open and then in the superintendent’s room after which he was put in solitary confinement for two days. He said that he was harassed for not fulfilling ‘illegal’ demands of jail officials. He also requested the court that the CCTV footage of the day he was beaten up be preserved.

The inquiry was marked to deputy inspector general (Amritsar circle) of jails who, in his report, maintained that it was a minor scuffle.

Quoting the report, the ADGP (jails) submitted an affidavit in the court that no such incident as alleged by the inmate had taken place. But when the counsel of the complainant produced a video of the CCTV footage, the court admonished the jail authorities and ordered a fresh inquiry.

The probe carried out by IG (jails) found the jail superintendent and lower rank officials guilty.

The inquiry report was submitted to the court along with an affidavit by the ADGP (jails) on December 21 in which it has been informed that the superintendent has been suspended, while a departmental inquiry has been initiated against the deputy superintendent and disciplinary action is being taken against two assistant superintendents, head warders and warders.

The ADGP said that a departmental inquiry would be initiated against the DIG (Amritsar circle) also.

Taking quick action on the letter sent to the Hoshiarpur senior superintendent of police by the ADGP, for registration of a case against the persons involved in the incident, an FIR was registered albeit against unknown persons.