1 killed, 35 hurt in clash at Ludhiana Central Jail; CM orders probe

An inmate of the Ludhiana Central Jail was killed and 35 injured when a clash broke between two groups of gangsters Thursday, prompting police to open fire to bring the situation under control.

A senior police officer was among those injured in the mayhem at the Punjab jail.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry by the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, an official release stated.

He has asked for a detailed probe to identify the instigators, making it clear that strict action would be taken against the culprits.

The trouble started soon after a jail inmate, undergoing a trial in a drug case, died at a Patiala hospital Thursday. DCP Ashwani Kapoor said Sunny Sood was referred to a Patiala hospital due to illness Wednesday, where he died.

As the news reached here, his fellow gangsters started instigating other prisoners, the DCP said.

They also accused police of "murdering" Sood, he said.

Kapoor said the jail staff had to open fire to control the situation, which had turned serious.

"The jail police had to open fire when two group of gangsters started pelting each other with stones at the central jail here. One jail inmate was killed and 35 others, including a assistant commissioner of police (ACP), received injuries," DCP Ashwani Kapoor said.

The jail authorities said the ACP of the city police and some members of the jail staff received injuries due to fierce brick batting by the inmates.

They also set an official vehicle of the jail superintendent and a portion of the jail kitchen on fire with the help of an LPG cylinder, the authorities said.

The fire brigade and the jail authorities said the rioters, numbering around 300, also tried to break open the main gate of the jail.

DCP Ashwani Kapoor said huge police force was rushed to the jail to control the situation.

The injured were hospitalised while the deceased was identified as Ajit Baba, Kapoor said.

Commenting on it, Commissioner Police (CP) Sukhchain Singh Gill said the situation was now under control and the prisoners were sent back to their barracks. PTI CORR VSD
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