A violent clash between inmates inside the Central Jail, Ludhiana, on Tajpur Road on Tuesday evening has once again drawn attention to persistent security challenges in Punjab’s prison system. The incident left jail superintendent Kulwant Singh Sidhu and several officers injured, raising questions over inmate management.
According to preliminary information, the disturbance erupted during a routine evening inspection when two groups of prisoners came to blows. Sources revealed that the clash initially involved five inmates—two on one side and three on the other—but soon escalated as prisoners allegedly picked up bricks and stones lying in the jail garden and used them as weapons.
Several jail officers were injured as they intervened to control the situation. Sources said the exact number of injured inmates and staff is yet to be officially confirmed. Notably, the injured officers were rushed to a private hospital instead of being taken to the Ludhiana Civil Hospital for medico-legal examination.
During the chaos, Superintendent Kulwant Singh Sidhu reportedly sustained a head injury after being hit by a brick. Inspector Gagandeep Singh, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), and a few other jail officers were also injured in the melee.
Further, one inmate alleged that he was being targeted because of his religion, which quickly led to the formation of rival groups and intensified the violence, sources added.
Police teams from three nearby stations were rushed to the jail to restore law and order, and additional security was deployed inside the premises.
Jail Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar has sought a detailed report into the incident. However, police officers remained tight-lipped about the exact cause of the clash till Wednesday morning. Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma also reached the spot but did not respond to queries regarding the trigger for the violence or subsequent police action.
The residents living in the nearby colonies of Tajpur Road reported hearing sirens from inside the jail for about 20 minutes, followed by a heavy police force entering the jail.
The latest incident is not an isolated one. Clashes and violence inside Punjab’s jails have been reported repeatedly over the years, often exposing serious security lapses. In September, former Punjab Police inspector Suba Singh, in his early 80s, while serving a life sentence in a 1993 fake encounter case, died after being assaulted by another inmate inside Patiala Central Jail. Suba Singh was allegedly attacked by inmate Sandeep Singh alias Sunny in a barrack and sustained severe head and facial injuries. He was admitted to Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, where he later succumbed to injuries.
Sandeep Singh is already facing a trial in the murder of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri, which happened in Amritsar. The case was converted into murder, and investigations were ordered to probe security failures inside the high-security jail.
In April 2024, a violent clash among inmates at Sangrur jail claimed the lives of two prisoners and left two others injured after a late-night fight inside the barracks. The injured were shifted to Patiala for advanced treatment, and an inquiry was launched to determine how the situation escalated so drastically.
One of the most serious incidents occurred in June 2019 at Ludhiana Central Jail following the death of inmate Sunny Sood, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Patiala. The news sparked widespread unrest among inmates, many allegedly linked to rival gangs. Hundreds of prisoners refused to return to their barracks, vandalised jail property, set fire to the record room and a jail superintendent’s vehicle, and attempted to breach the jail gates. The police resorted to firing inside the jail to bring the situation under control. One inmate, Ajit Baba, was killed, dozens were injured, and four prisoners attempted to escape before being recaptured. A magisterial inquiry was later ordered into the incident.
Apart from violent clashes, inmates have also repeatedly protested over poor sanitation and living conditions inside jails, with some demonstrations turning violent.
