Marking the unusual events in the state, Punjab in 2019 had recorded the second-highest number of lock-up suicides in the country, after Uttar Pradesh.
In comparison, 13 prisoners died by suicide, by hanging themselves whereas 20 inmates chose to end their life in a suspicious manner in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report on 'Prison Statics India 2019', released last week, as many as 20 unnatural deaths took place in various jails of Punjab. Divulging the details, of 20 deaths, 13 prisoners died by suicide, two were murdered by fellow inmates, two were accidental deaths, prisoners lost life due to firing, and two owing to other reasons.
Notably, as many as 116 prisoners chose to die by suicide across the country in 2019.
Punjab, however, registered 117 unnatural deaths of prisoners in 2019.
As of December 31, 2019, 9,618 convicts were lodged in various jails of the country for committing offenses under liquor and narcotics-related acts under Special and Local Laws (SLL). “Punjab has reported the highest number of convicts (3,513), followed by Madhya Pradesh (837) and Uttar Pradesh (784), accounting for 36.53 percent, 8.70 percent and 8.15 percent of the total convicted inmates lodged under SLL crimes which are specific to liquor and narcotics-related offenses respectively,” said the report.
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Not only this, but Punjab ranked fifth in the country as 23 convicts escaped. Of these, six escaped from inside the jail, three from outside and14 from police custody. While 172 inmates absconded from Gujarat jails, 50 from Rajasthan, 39 from Maharashtra, and 31 from UP, Punjab Police managed to detain 14 escapees.
Incidents of jailbreak were also recorded in Punjab, including 25 group clashes and one of firing within the premises. A total of 61 persons, including 12 jail personnel, were injured in group clashes within Punjab jails.
Punjab’s track record as per NCRB:
8,116: Undertrials were acquitted in Punjab by the end of 2019
20: Second highest number of unnatural deaths in jails
13: Second highest number of suicides in jails
3,513: Highest no. of convicts lodged in a state committing offenses under liquor and narcotics-related acts
494: Majority convicts who received vocational training
103: Highest no. Of complaints from prisoners pending with State Human Rights Commission