CHANDIGARH, India, Oct. 14, Reuter: Indian police opened fire on Wednesday at prisoners alleged to be rioting inside a Punjab jaill, shooting dead three Sikh freedom fighters and injuring 18, police said.

Fourteen prison staff were also injured after about 40 prisoners at Sangrur District jail attacked them with stones and bricks, police in the state capital Chandigarh said,

They said the prisoners were in a prison yard for their morning ‘exercise when they demanded to meet a new inmate, convicted Sikh freedom fighters leader Gurdey Singh Kaunke.

‘Singh was a leader of the Khalistan Commando Force, one of 16 Sikh organizations fighting for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan (Land of the Pure).

The prisoners rioted after warden refused their request to meet him, police said, Most of the prisoners were Sikhs convicted under India’s internal security laws.

Earlier, another force leader, Manbir Singh, escaped police custody when he duped policemen by saying he had to answer the call of nature while being transported by car to the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, police said.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) said three members of a family were shot dead and another wounded by gunmen on Tuesday in a village near the Sikh holy city of Amritsar.

More than 1,000 people have been killed by violence, compared to 650 for the whole of 1986,

Our special correspondent from Chandigarh reported that three Persons, namely Jagdish Singh of village Ahmadpur district Amritsar, Wassan Singh of Tarn Taran and Balwinder Singh of Gattiwindi of Bathinda district were shot dead while eight others including a jail warden were wounded in the jail clash with the inmates.

Giving further details of the incident, he added that it occurred ‘when Bhai Gurdev Singh, the first ex-Head Priest of Akal Takht Sahib, appointed by the freedom fighters was transferred to this jail from Madhya Pradesh and the inmates were refused the permission to meet him.

‘The firing continued for half an hour. The newsmen were not allowed to meet the injured and other inmates. The jail authorities also refused to divulge any details about the incident.

In another development, Mr. RS. Sharma, a Judicial Magisterate of Sangrur directed Station House Officer of police station Kotwali, Sangrur, to register case of murder against jail authorities and investigate it, This order was passed by the Magisterate on the application of lawyer, Mr. Rajbir Singh Barnala.

An iron curtain has been broUught to this incident of firing. A press party from Chandigarh was not allowed an entry into the jail to enquire into the case. Even a request for a meeting with the jail superintendent was turned down.

According to police sources, two seriously injured freedom fighters, Ranbir Singh Gill and Basant Singh had been shifted to the hospital of Government Medical College, Patiala and the rest of injured inmates are being treated at the local hospital.

Mr. Sukhdev Singh, Vice-president of Punjab Human Rights Organization, have strongly condemned the unjustified firing on the unarmed inmates of the jail, He ‘aid that it was the second incident of firing in the jails which reflect the Government of India’s repression in and outside the jails.

Mr. Sukhdev Singh, in a letter to the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, brought to his notice the conditions in the Punjab jails.

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 23, 1987