Punjab: Hoshiarpur jail DSP arrested over probe into gangsters viral video
Police said he has been booked under provisions of the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act, the NDPS Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
PTC News Desk: A Deputy Superintendent of Central Jail Hoshiarpur has been arrested in connection with the investigation into a viral video allegedly recorded by a gangster from inside the jail, police said on Sunday.
The official, Harbhajan Singh, was arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Staff during the night of July 4-5. The case relates to an FIR registered at City Police Station, Hoshiarpur, on June 14.
Police said he has been booked under provisions of the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act, the NDPS Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). However, officials have not yet revealed the exact allegations or evidence behind his arrest.
The case began after a video allegedly recorded by inmate Manpreet Singh alias Manna, lodged in Hoshiarpur Central Jail, surfaced on social media on June 14. In the video, he accused jail staff of harassment, demanding money, and allowing drugs to circulate inside the prison.
He also claimed that some jail employees assaulted inmates and appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to reform the prison system and help inmates rebuild their lives.
After the video went viral, jail authorities launched an inquiry. During the investigation, police recovered a SIM-less mobile phone from Manpreet Singh inside the jail.
The incident sparked a political controversy, with opposition leaders raising questions about jail security and how an inmate in a high-security prison was able to record and circulate a video from inside the facility.