‘Take up shifting of gangsters out of state with Centre’

JAILS MINISTER WRITES

TO AMARINDER TO SEEK AUDIENCE WITH UNION HOME MINISTER TO FLAG ISSUES CONCERNING PUNJAB PRISIONS

CHANDIGARH: Punjab jails minister Punjab Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday asked chief minister Amarinder Singh to take up with the Centre shifting of gangsters out of the state jails.

In a letter to the CM, Randhawa said, “Kindly seek time from the Union home minister so that we can flag the issues concerning our jails before him. Like the J&K terrorists have been shifted out from there, these gangsters also should be shifted out of Punjab as they are no lesser threat to peace and harmony.”

The minister said in 24 jails in the state there are 250 gangsters, out of which 187 are A-category, meaning they are wanted in 10 or more cases of murder and extortion. “There are some who are facing trial in more than four dozen cases. There are some who are in Punjab jails from other states. It is difficult to manage them,” the minister told HT.

Patiala district has three jails, while Ludhiana has two. Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib don’t have any jail. He also asked the CM to seek deployment of two additional companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for better security inside the state jails. About better management in Tihar jail in the national capital, Randhawa said the inmates in the prison don’t understand what the staff speaks as they are from Tamil Nadu.

Thanking the CM for formation of jail development board for better management of state prisons, the minister asked him for posting more staff in these facilities.