Jail supdt suspended for security lapses during singer’s visit

LUDHIANA: Superintendent of Ludhiana Central Jail Rajiv Arora was suspended on Tuesday for giving Punjabi singer Karan Aujla special treatment and flouting security norms of the jail manual.

The singer and his friends had visited the jail on April 8 and there have been conflicting statements over the purpose of the visit. Arora has been replaced by Balkar Singh, who was superintendent at Gurdaspur jail.

Additional director general of police (prisons) PK Sinha confirmed the development, saying Arora has been suspended for not making the singer and his friends undergo the security check when they visited the jail on April 8. The lapses were detected in an investigation.

On allegations of a meeting between Aujla and former sarpanch Gurdeep Singh Rano, an accused of high-profile drug haul, in the jail, the ADGP said no such meeting took place, but as a precaution, they shifted Rano to the Patiala jail.

Aujla along with his friends had visited Ludhiana central jail on April 8 and met Arora in his office. The matter reached the ADGP after it came to light that they were let in without security check as per the jail protocol. It was alleged that even the mobile phones of Aujla and his friends were not checked.

Was already under the police scanner

ADGP (prisons) had marked an inquiry to DIG (jails) on April 10.

Aujla was already under the police scanner, as the Special Task Force (STF) had found his alleged links with Rano. Aujla had recorded some scenes of his music albums on properties owned by Rano, it is learnt.

In the investigation, the police found that the pilot vehicle of Ludhiana mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu had escorted Aujla to jail. Mayor’s son was also accompanying Aujla.

‘Aujla a friend of my son’

However, refuting the allegations, Arora claimed that Aujla was a friend of his son and came on a personal visit.

“Aujla had come on a personal visit with 4-5 other friends. They sat in my office for a few minutes only and later they left for his residence for lunch,” he had said.