Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo and four others were broken out of Nabha Central Jail in Patiala, Punjab, by 10 armed men on Sunday. The assailants, who were clad in police uniforms, fired more than a 100 rounds at the guards, according to ANI. A high alert has been issued in the state. Later in the day, one man was arrested in connection with the incident, and police believe he was one of those who helped the prisoners escape from jail. A large number of arms were found in his car in the state’s Shamli district, The Times of India reported.
The Punjab government has announced Rs 25 lakh as a reward to any person providing information on the prisoners who escaped, reported PTI.
Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora and Punjab Deputy Chief Minster Sukhbir Singh Badal had met to discuss the security breach, after which Arora claimed that the security arrangements at the prison were “fine”. He is heading to Nabha to assess the situation. “Pakistan is desperate to revive terror post-surgical strike. It could be behind the jailbreak”, Badal was quoted as saying by PTI.
The director general of prisons has been suspended, while the superintendent and deputy superintendent of Nabha Central Jail have been dismissed, Badal said. A special task force under assistant director general of police has been formed to investigate the incident. “Strict action will be taken against whoever is found responsible,” he added.
The Home Affairs Ministry has sought a report on the jailbreak. Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh has been apprised of the incident. “We have been given to understand that the government is in full control of the situation. Concerned agencies will take cognisance of this and do what is appropriate,” said Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh.
Moreover, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh took the opportunity to accuse the state government of poor governance. “The incident has exposed the complete breakdown of law and order in the state,” he said. “The manner in which the gangsters walked into the high-security jail and freed the dreaded Khalistani terrorist clearly shows complicity at the highest levels.” Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal also said Punjab’s Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal should resign. The AAP will contest the upcoming Punjab polls.
An eyewitness told ANI that there were at least 20 men who opened indiscriminate fire at the prison guards. One of them was dressed in the uniform of an assistant sub-inspector, while the others were dressed in police uniforms. There are no reports on any injuries during the incident yet.
The four others who escaped in the jailbreak are Vicky Gondra, Gurpreet Singh, Vikramjeet Singh Vicky and Nitin Deol. Mintoo was arrested by the Punjab Police in 2014. The insurgent group leader was wanted in a number of terror-related cases.
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