CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government last week placed under suspension Superintendent of Jail Kapurthala S.C.Oberoi with immediate effect following an inquiry report of the District and Sessions Judge indicting him on the charges of large-scale corruption and beating up of three under trials. The inquiry was held by the District and Sessions Judge. Kapurthala on the complaint of Balwinder Kaur wife of an under trial Jaswinder Singh of Maheru village of the same district.
She alleged that on October 7. last year Oberoi beat her husband following the inability shown by him to pay Rs 40,000. A warder Paramjit Singh had approached the under trial and demanded the amount to get him acquitted from the court the warder had even visited the residence of the accused to get the money.
Jaswinder was threatened that in case he failed to “oblige” the official would be convicted in the case
The contention of the complainant was supported by the statements of the medical officer jail P.D.Dinkar assistant vides the under trials Dev Sharan and Jaspal Singh. These two under trials were also thrashed under similar circumstances.
The victims were forced to give their thumb impressions on pre written statements handed over to them by Oberoi. The under trials lamented that they could not disclose the treatment meted out to them during inspection by the Judge because of fear of reprisals
The jail doctor revealed that Jaswinder Dev Sharan and Jaspal Singh under trials were treated by him for a number of days after they were thrashed by Oberoi.
The inquiry report notes that “district jail which is to serve the purpose of a “Sudhar Ghar” was turned into a worse type of a police station and the under trials did not have courage to make a complaint during inspections or during their appearance before the court.”
Inspector General of prisons B.S .Sandhu said that the officer was of doubtful integrity and a vigilance inquiry was already pending against him.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 18, 1994
