Gadgets found with Sikh extremists: Assam jail superintendent arrested

A smartphone and a spy camera were among the items found in the cell where 10 pro-Khalistan activists have been jailed since April 2023

Police personnel escort Dibrugarh Central Jail  Superintendent Nipen Das after he was arrested under the UAPA in Dibrugarh on March 8, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI

GUWAHATI

The Assam Police arrested the superintendent of Dibrugarh Central Jail on March 7 night over the seizure of electronic gadgets from the possession of 10 inmates belonging to a radical pro-Khalistan organisation.

Amritpal Singh, the chief of Waris Punjab De, and nine of his associates have been lodged in the eastern Assam jail since April 2023. Booked under the National Security Act (NSA), they have been on a hunger strike in jail for a fortnight, demanding transfer to any prison in Punjab.

Dibrugarh’s Superintendent of Police, V.V. Rakesh Reddy told journalists on March 8 that Nipen Das was arrested under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Assam Prisons Act in connection with the “objectionable materials” found in the cell of the Sikh extremists in mid-February.

“A thorough search operation within the jail premises led to the seizure of the illegal items that included smartphones equipped with remote keypads, a spy camera, and other communication devices. Subsequent inquiries yielded compelling evidence implicating the jail superintendent,” he said.

Mr. Reddy said Das’s complicity in the illegal acquisition of the electronic gadgets raised serious concerns about the maintenance of law and order and national security.

He also said the Sikh prisoners on hunger strike were under regular medical supervision and actions were being taken to address any health issues.

The hunger strike was the peg for Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the U.S.-based leader of the pro-Khalistan Sikhs for Justice, to issue a death threat to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on March 1.

“... Amritpal Singh and his associates are on a hunger strike in Dibrugarh jail. Order the shifting of Amritpal and his associates to Amritsar jail or face the consequences...,” a caller claiming to be speaking on behalf of Pannun said.