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In a sensational jailbreak, chief of Khalistan Liberation Front terrorist outfit Harminder Mintoo on Sunday escaped along with five other prisoners after armed men in police uniform stormed the high-security Nabha prison in Patiala, exposing "lapses" and raising doubts of possible collusion of insiders, with the Centre seeking an immediate report.
Punjab DGP Suresh Arora said that "the unidentified assailants came in police fatigues and were carrying small firearms." He said that they told police personnel deployed on jail premises that they were bringing a prisoner.
"Later, they fired indiscriminately and fled with six criminals, including a terrorist," he said, adding over 35 rounds were fire and there was no casualty among the jail personnel, who were allegedly taken offguard and did not offer any strong resistance.
"The firing was also done from inside the jail. We will see why the firing was not effective," the DGP said and added there is a "conspiracy somewhere".
"Had there been effective firing, it would have been the other way round," he said.
"There are two aspects. One is that the jailbreak will be probed and the second thing is lapses. Who is responsible, if there is any connivance?" the DGP said.
Those who escaped from the high-security prison included hardcore Khalistani terrorist Mintoo, who was arrested by Punjab police in November 2014 after he was deported from Thailand and was wanted in 10 terror cases. After the jailbreak, security agencies in northern states were sent into high alert and Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. He sought an immediate report on the incident, besides directing the state to step up security in jails.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal who apprised him of the details of the incident and steps being taken to apprehend the six absconders.
Sukhbir said Pakistan could be behind the incident as it was desperate to revive terrorism in the state post-surgical strike across LoC and vowed that the "conspiracy" will be unravelled soon.
The others who fled were gangster Vicky Gaundar, Amandeep Dhotian, Gurpreet Sekhon, Nita Deol and Kashmira Singh, who is also a terrorist.
The DGP said that the prisoners had fled towards Haryana.
Heads begin to roll; Rs 25 lakh reward announced
The Punjab government sacked the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Nabha jail and suspended the ADGP (Prisons) after the jailbreak incident, and announced a reward of Rs 25 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the escapees.
The state government has issued orders to set up an inquiry committee to look into any lapse in security that led to the incident. It will be headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Jagpal Singh Sandhu.
A special investigation team under an ADGP-rank officer has also been constituted which will look into lapses as well as any conspiracy theories surrounding the incident.
"ADGP (Jails) has been suspended and Jail Superintendent and Deputy Jail Superintendent have been dismissed," Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who also holds the home portfolio, told reporters.
ADGP (Railways) Rohit Chaudhary has been appointed as the new ADGP (Jails) in place of M K Tiwari and IPS officer S Bhupati is the new Superintendent of Nabha jail.
Sukhbir rushed to the jail for an on-the-spot review of the situation. Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora is already in Nabha following the incident, a spokesman said.
Additional Director General of Police, Internal Vigilance Cell, Prabodh Kumar will head the SIT comprising IGP (Patiala Zone) Paramraj Singh, IGP Ishwar Singh, IGP (Counter Intelligence) Nilabh Kishore, DIG (Patiala Range) Amar Singh Chahal and SSP (Patiala) Gurmeet Chouhan.
"Special Investigation team has been asked to submit a report within three days in this regard," Sukhbir said.
Centre seeks report from Punjab govt
Concerned over the jailbreak in Punjab, the Centre today sought a report from the state government asking it provide details of the incident.
Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi also spoke to the Punjab DGP and asked him to ensure adequate security in all jails in the state.
The home ministry asked the Punjab government to send the report about the jailbreak as early as possible and the steps taken to ensure security in the jails.
The incident came two days after Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked security forces to guard against attempts to disturb peace through "vicious" political campaign or by external extremist forces during the election process in Punjab and four other states.
"We have to keep strict vigil against external extremist elements who may try to create disturbance in Punjab. There have been increased activities of Sikh terrorists in recent months.
"Similarly in Manipur, we have to ensure peace keeping in mind the ethnic divide. In Uttar Pradesh too, there may be attempts to disturb law and order through vicious political campaigning. We have to keep strict vigil and take proper steps to ensure peace during election," the home minister said at the conference of Director Generals of Police (DGPs) in Hyderabad on Friday.
Suspect headed for Nepal arrested in UP
UP Police claimed to have arrested one of the armed men involved in the sensational jailbreak.
Parminder alias Penda was travelling in an SUV when his vehicle was intercepted by police at a check post in Kairana in Shamli district in western Uttar Pradesh, police said.
He tried to flee but was apprehended. Police said it has recovered an SLR and three other rifles from his possession.
ADG (law and order) Daljeet Choudhury said that police had heightened security as it had apprehensions that the accused in the jailbreak may try to flee to Nepal.
The ADG said that Parminder "confessed" to his involvement during questioning. He was also allegedly wanted in connection with the murder of a policeman.
In another development, a woman was killed when police opened fire at a vehicle which had jumped a barrier.
The incident occurred at a 'naka' on Patiala-Gulha Cheeka road. Police tried to stop the car, but its driver did not stop despite being asked to and when police opened fire, a woman who received the gunshot wounds was killed.
Police sources said that it could not be immediately ascertained whether the woman, who was not travelling in the car which jumped the barrier, was travelling in some other vehicle or was walking on the road when she got hit by the bullet.