Leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, has launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government following a violent communal clash inside Ludhiana's Central Jail. The senior Congress leader described the incident as a "damning reflection" of the complete collapse of the state's prison administration.
A Scuffle That Turned Into a Battlefield
The violence erupted on Wednesday within the high-security prison. According to reports, what started as a minor scuffle between five inmates soon escalated into large-scale chaos. Prisoners allegedly armed themselves with bricks and stones that were freely accessible in the jail garden, transforming the facility into a virtual battleground.
The situation spiraled so out of control that Jail Superintendent Kulwant Singh Sidhu and several other jail officials sustained injuries while trying to intervene. Bajwa, condemning the AAP government, stated that the incident exposed serious and unacceptable failures in inmate supervision, security protocols, and crisis management.
Bajwa Questions Political and Administrative Failure
Terming the clash a direct consequence of political and administrative failure, Bajwa sharply questioned the functioning of the jail department under the watch of Jail Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, who assumed charge in September 2024.
"How could bricks and stones be freely accessible inside a high-security jail, where such materials pose an obvious and foreseeable threat?" Bajwa asked. "Even more alarming is the inability of jail authorities to contain the situation before it spiralled into uncontrolled violence."
Part of a Disturbing Pattern, Not an Isolated Incident
The Congress leader emphasized that the Ludhiana jail violence was not an isolated event. He pointed to a disturbing and recurring pattern of violence inside Punjab's prisons under the current AAP regime.
Bajwa recalled a similar late-night clash among inmates at Sangrur Jail in April 2024, which resulted in the death of two prisoners and left two others grievously injured. He stated that this pattern highlights the persistent failure of jail management and reform efforts.
The senior leader warned that these repeated incidents of bloodshed point to a total breakdown of discipline, governance, and institutional control within Punjab's correctional system. He demanded immediate corrective measures, strict accountability for those responsible for the lapses, and a comprehensive overhaul of prison security protocols to prevent the state's jails from descending further into chaos and lawlessness.
