Hoshiarpur, July 5: A Deputy Superintendent of the Central Jail in Hoshiarpur has been arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency staff following an investigation into a viral video recorded by an inmate from inside the prison facility. Harbhajan Singh, the senior jail official, was taken into custody during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The arrest is tied directly to a First Information Report originally registered at the City Police Station on June 14, following the online appearance of the controversial footage.
The senior official faces serious legal charges, having been booked under relevant provisions of the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. While local police teams have not yet disclosed the exact evidentiary links or specific individual actions that prompted the midnight arrest, the development follows a comprehensive inquiry initiated by prison authorities. The investigation has already led to the physical recovery of a SIM-less mobile phone from the cell of the inmate who recorded the footage.
“The case stems from a purported video of Manpreet Singh alias Manna, who is lodged in the Central Jail,” a senior police coordinator stated while confirming the administrative action. He affirmed that the legal process was accelerated to address potential lapses in institutional security. “He has been booked under relevant provisions of the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act, the NDPS Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.”
The controversial clip features Manpreet Singh, a resident of Bathinda district, detailing severe systemic issues within the prison walls, including claims of unprovoked physical assaults by guards. In the recording, the inmate made a direct public appeal to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to step in and initiate sweeping reforms across state correctional centers to give inmates a fair chance at rehabilitation.
“In the video, Manpreet alleged harassment by jail staff, demands for money and the availability of narcotics inside the prison,” an investigative officer maintained during a briefing on the case. He declared that the public release of the footage had raised significant security concerns regarding how communication devices enter high-security zones.
The incident has since sparked sharp criticism from opposition benches, with political leaders demanding accountability regarding the enforcement of prison protocols. Government representatives maintained that the arrest demonstrates the administration’s strict stance against internal corruption and its commitment to sanitizing state prisons from illicit activities.
