Violence broke out twice in three days at the Muktsar district jail, injuring five inmates and two staff members. One employee suffered fractures in both legs and a severe head injury.
The first clash happened on Thursday after the jail transferred inmates from Faridkot. Longstanding rivalries among inmates, many facing murder or attempted murder charges, triggered the violence. On Saturday, one faction attacked jail employee Mangal Dass Singh.
The FIR, filed by Assistant Jail Superintendent Nachhattar Singh, states that Thursday’s clash began in Block 6. Inmates led by Gurmeet Singh alias Meeta and Baljinder Singh alias Gandhi snatched keys from a staff member, freed other inmates, locked the employee inside, and attacked rival inmates with iron rods and a sharp weapon. Three assistant superintendents rushed to stop the fight, but Sukhmander Singh got injured.
The Muktsar Sadar police charged 23 inmates under Sections 221, 132, 115(2), 118(1), 304(2), 127(2) of the BNS, and Section 45 of the Prisons Act. Authorities shifted all accused inmates to other prisons. Due to overcrowding, the de-addiction block now holds regular inmates.
