Kapurthala jail clash: 31 inmates booked for rioting and arson

As many as 31 inmates have been booked on various charges, including rioting and arson, in connection with a clash inside the Kapurthala Central Jail that left three injured, a senior police official said on Monday.

Police had lobbed teargas shells and resorted to a cane charge after inmates of Block-4 in the prison clashed on Saturday night.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora, said 31 inmates have been booked on the charges of rioting, arson, attempt to murder, obstructing public servants from performing their duties and criminal conspiracy.

They have also been booked under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Prisons Act, he said. During the clash, the inmates tried to manhandle and scuffle with the officials. Some inmates even set something on fire outside their barracks. They had reached the roof of their barracks after breaking a gate and an iron grill leading to the rooftop, according to police.

While two inmates were injured in the clash, another sustained injury after he was hit by a teargas shell, police had said. No police personnel or jail staff were injured in the clash.

Police on Sunday seized iron rods, sticks and mobile phones from inmates who ran amok in the jail.

Opposition parties have attacked the Bhagwant Mann Government over the Kapurthala jail incident, saying it has once again exposed the collapsing law and order situation in the State.