While we are working on advancement in technological arena in our system, the moral and security systems seem to be failing at another leave. Bringing to fore yet again how the criminals continue to circumvent the law with impunity even when they are behind bars, gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in central jail Bathinda, has given an interview to an electronic channel via mobile. While the channel telecast the interview as ‘live’ on Tuesday evening, it is not clear when it was actually conducted. The question is how did Lawrence Bishnoi obtain a device for the live interview and how did he connect with the news tv channel for the same. It is important to understand how the whole event happened.
The Rajasthan police had taken Bishnoi on a production warrant to Jaipur from Bathinda central jail on February 15. He was brought back to Bathinda on March 7 and kept in the custody of crime investigation agency (CIA) staff Bathinda at night, and taken back to Bathinda central jail on March 8. Bishnoi has been in contact with members of his gang from inside various jails for many years. It is difficult for a common person to imagine such kind of networking, assuming that jails are strict and under total surveillance all the time. Is it a failure of the jail management or the bias in treatment of jailed people on the basis of the money and power they carry.
IG (prisons) Roop Kumar Arora said, “It is categorically denied that this interview has taken place in/from any of the jails of Punjab. It is further clarified that this prisoner (Bishnoi) is at present confined in the high security zone of central jail, Bathinda, where jammers are installed and it is not possible to make any communication from this zone. Strict surveillance is kept over his activities 24×7.” The IG (prisons) added that rumours that the interview was recorded from inside Bathinda jail are baseless. “If anyone is caught spreading fake news maligning the image of Punjab.
Bishnoi claimed in this interview that he had no hand in the murder of Punjabi singer and Congress leader Shubhdeep Singh alias Sidhu Moose Wala on May 29 last year at Jawaharke village of Punjab’s Mansa district, and said the Canada-based Goldie Brar was involved in the murder. Bishnoi, however, The gangster is involved in over 40 cases of murder, extortion, contract killing and robbery in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Delhi. A resident of Duttarwali village in Fazilka district of Punjab, Bishnoi had taken to crime in 2010 when the first case was registered against him in Chandigarh. He claims to be a student who is conferred upon the terrorist title.
The presence of mobiles in Punjab jails has remained a major issue. Gangsters had even recorded a video of the February 26 Goindwal Sahib jail clash between members of two rival gangs in which two gangsters were murdered. The video was shot by members of the Bishnoi gang – Sachin Bhiwani and Ankit Sirsa – in which they could be seen celebrating the murder of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang members Mandeep Singh alias Toofan and Manmohan Singh alias Mohna inside jail with other inmates. The two murdered gangsters were allegedly involved in the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala. Another prisoner Keshav who was injured in the clash was referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar. Claimed that he knew about the murder plan as he had told Brar that Moose Wala was their enemy, and the weapons used in the murder were procured from Uttar Pradesh.”
Being in custody means being in control of the police. This clearly violates the belief and forces us to think if there are different layers of amenities and provisions for convicts or under trials considering some factors we would not know. Are the powerful politicians and gangsters really suffering in jails or it’s just a change of location for them. While the poor people remain in jails and suffer from malnutrition and lack of medical help for months in spite of small crimes like mobile theft, the powerful look groomed, healthy and connected to the world all the time. Rights and justice being the highlight of the changing fabric, it is difficult for the common public to believe the possibility of fair treatment and judgements. Scrutiny if the same can help in understanding the loop holes in the system.