A Deputy Superintendent of the Central Jail in Punjab was arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff during the intervening night of July 4 and 5, officials said.
Harbhajan Singh, posted as Deputy Superintendent at the Central Jail, Hoshiarpur, was arrested in connection with an FIR registered on June 14, they said.
The officer was booked under relevant sections of the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
The authorities have not yet disclosed the specific reasons for which he was arrested.
The case reportedly stems from a purported video of Manpreet Singh alias Manna, a resident of Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district, who is lodged in the Central Jail, Hoshiarpur. The video surfaced on social media on June 14.
In the video, Manpreet alleged harassment by jail staff, demands for money, and the availability of narcotics inside the prison. He also claimed that some jail personnel had assaulted inmates inside the jail premises and urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to undertake reforms in jails and provide inmates with an opportunity to improve their lives.
After the video went viral on social media, the jail authorities took cognisance of the incident and initiated an inquiry into the allegations. According to police officials, a SIM-less mobile phone was recovered from Manpreet Singh's cell.
The video quickly triggered a political row, as Opposition leaders questioned the functioning of the jail administration and how a gangster lodged in a high-security prison was able to record and circulate such a video on social media.
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