Apparently irked by the indifferent attitude of the authorities, nearly 1,500 inmates of the central jail in Jalandhar went on the rampage on Monday, setting afire prison properties and pelting stones on the staff.

Chaos began after the locks of cells opened at around 6.30 am when all the prisoners gathered and protested against the locking of some of the inmates in the dark cell (popularly known as chakki) as punishment, prison sources said.

The inmates alleged they were deprived of basic facilities by the authorities and bribery had become a way of life inside the prison. They demanded immediate redressal of their grievances.

When the authorities refused to accept their demands, the inmates turned violent and started pelting stones at the staff.

Within no time, it became a free-for-all situation.

The prisoners then set fire to jail properties. They also threw LPG cylinders into the fire but luckily, these did not explode.

Even a large posse of policemen could not control the scene as the inmates continued pelting stones.

The agitators tried to burn the main gate of the jail and police had to open several rounds of bullets and fire teargas shells to disburse them, SSP Arpit Shukla said.

The library and computer room were badly damaged.
 
However, the scene calmed when the prisoners gave up and began attending to an injured inmate. Later, DIG N P Singh ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and suspended jail superintendent Satpal Singh and handed the charge to Jagjit Singh.

He also assured the inmates of addressing their grievances of inmates.

The SSP addressed all the inmates in the jail gurudwara and assured them that action would be taken against the jail staff, if found guilty.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Singh, one of the inmate and key accused in the Prabeer kidnapping case, received serious eye injuries and was immediately shifted to the civil hospital. However, his condition was stated to be normal.

On the other hand, the jail authorities accused the inmates of hatching a conspiracy against them as some mobile phones were seized from them recently.