*Pak prisoners not to be segregated
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 4: In a significant decision, the Prisons Department has devised a mechanism to keep all 64 Pakistani prisoners including under-trials and convicts, lodged in different jails across the State, under strict surveillance to protect them till the situation post Sarabjit Singh’s hanging and murderous assault on Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay in Kot Bhalwal jail yesterday settled down.
The mechanism would also cover all local prisoners as they too could face threat from Pakistani detenues especially when some of them were dreaded militants.
The State Home Department has also directed the Police and Prisons Department to speak to Jail authorities outside the State, where Pakistani militants, who were convicted in Jammu and Kashmir but had been lodged in jails of other States, to beef up their security and protect them from any onslaught.
Director General Prisons, K Rajendera, who rushed back here this morning from Hyderabad cutting shot his leave after yesterday’s incident, told the Excelsior after a high level review of situation in Kot Bhalwal jail that he had deputed DIG Prisons Dr Sultan Lone and his own Staff Officer Javed Fazli to camp in the jail and suggest measures to ensure that no untoward incident takes place (in the jail) in future.
Mr Rajendera said Dinesh Sharma, Superintendent District Jail Ambphalla, has been given additional charge of Central Jail Kot Bhalwal after the suspension of Rajni Sehgal. Besides Mrs Sehgal, five other Jail staffers, who were Incharge of the security of prisoners at the time of incident yesterday, have also been placed under suspension, he added.
An inquiry has been ordered against them, he said, adding that a full time Superintendent would be posted to Kot Bhalwal jail very soon.
The DG Prisons has asked the DIG Prisons and his Staff Officer to camp in the high security jail till everything settled down and hold interaction with jail staff and prisoners, both Pakistanis and locals, and suggest a full-proof mechanism to ensure that the clashes didn’t take place in future.
“Segregating Pakistani prisoners from locals is not a solution. Once this was done and the Pakistani prisoners had managed to dig a tunnel, which was detected well in time. We have worked out a fool-proof mechanism in such a manner that the prisoners are also kept together and their protection is also ensured,” Mr Rajendera said, adding “we are committed to ensure peace in the jails at any cost”.
Sources, however, said Pakistani prisoners have been segregated only for few days till the security mechanism starts working fully.
On yesterday’s incident, Mr Rajendera described it as “instant reaction to taunting remarks”. He said Sanaullah and Vinod Kumar were close to each other. While Vinod was engaged in digging in the garden, Sanaullah asked for a `beedi’ from him. As Vinod was working, he asked Sanaullah to himself take the `beedi’ from his pocket.
As Sanaullah was puffing the `beedi’ he passed taunting remarks pertaining to Sarabjit Singh against India, which instantly provoked Vinod, who hit him with a brick thrice causing him deep injuries. The prisoners were immediately separated but by then the damage had been done.
There were a total of 64 Pakistani prisoners including under-trials, convicts and border-crossers awaiting repatriation in eight jails of the State, the highest being 22 in Central Kot Bhalwal jail. Other jails, where the Pakistani prisoners have been lodged, included Districts Jails of Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Hiranagar, Srinagar, Kathua and Udhampur.
Official sources said the Prisons Department has directed authorities of all the jails housing Pakistani prisoners to take “extra ordinary security measures” in the jail to prevent any clash.
Meanwhile, the Government today issued a formal order for an inquiry into yesterday’s incident in the jail, which will be conducted by Principal Secretary (Home) Suresh Kumar. The inquiry had been ordered yesterday.
Mr Kumar today visited Kot Bhalwal jail alongwith Mr Rajendra and reviewed security arrangements.
Meanwhile, Gharota police station today took Vinod Kumar, a dismissed Army jawan and a resident of Uttarakhand who had brutally assaulted Sanaullah in Kot Bhalwal jail yesterday, on seven days police remand from the court for his questioning in the case.
A Gharota police station team headed by SHO Inspector Jatinder Singh Samyal produced Vinod Kumar before the court of Forest Magistrate after taking him from Kot Bhalwal jail with the permission of the court.
While Chief Prosecuting Officer Sanjay Kohli sought 10 days police remand for Vinod, Forest Magistrate, Jammu, Mr Adnan Sayed gave seven days remand. Mr Sayed directed the Investigating Officer of the police to speed up investigations and get the accused medically examined within every 48 hours.
IGP Jammu Zone Rajesh Kumar said a police team has been deputed to Chandigarh, where Sanaullah was under treatment at the PGI. The team would take statement of the prisoner if he was declared medically fit, he added and said Chandigarh police was providing protection to Pakistani prisoner.
Probe in the case has started and senior police officers were at the crime scene today as well, Mr Kumar said.
“All necessary evidence has been collected. The weapon of offence…a brick…has been recovered,” he said adding that Vinod has been booked for the attack under Section 307 RPC at Gharota police station.
The evidence is being put together and charge sheet will be prepared soon, he said.
PTI adds from New Delhi: the condition of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay, injured in a Jammu jail, today remained serious but stable, Indian officials said here but Pakistan officials maintained that medical prognosis of his recovery or survival was “pessimistic”.
Meanwhile, India has also granted consular access on a daily basis to Pakistan officials to visit Sanaullah, who was injured in a scuffle with another inmate in Jammu jail, at PGI in Chandigarh.
A team of Pakistan High Commission officials had already made a visit to Sanaullah at PGI in Chandigarh in the wee hours today.
“We have given Pakistan High Commission officials consular access on daily basis. They can visit Sanaullah once a day. They will also be briefed twice a day on the condition of the prisoner,” spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said here.
He also said there was no change in the condition of Sanaullah. “He remains serious but there is no worsening of his condition”, the spokesperson said.
Pakistan High Commission officials had visited the injured prisoner at the hospital at 3:30 AM and had also met the attending doctor.
“The doctors have given a very pessimistic prognosis of Sanaullah’s recovery or survival and rule out prospects of his medical evacuation,” Pakistan High Commission Press Attache said here.
He also said “Pakistan High Commission officers are in Chandigarh and maintaining contact with the doctors” and added the “medical condition shows that Sanaullah was subjected to multiple brutal assaults of unspeakable savagery in the Jammu jail, which is a matter of deep concern”.
India had granted consular access to Pakistan High Commission officials last night. They had also given travel permission to three officials and a driver.
Earlier, a medical bulletin said the prisoner’s urine appeared to be adequate and “further treatment will depend on his stabilisation and neurological status”.
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