Brand new CCTV cameras were installed in front of cells holding Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh’s aides, who have been detained under the National Security Act, at Assam’s Dibrugarh jail on Wednesday. Malfunctioning cameras were also repaired or replaced in view of the high-security inmates being lodged inside the jail.

Assam inspector general of police Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan, along with the Dibrugarh deputy commissioner and superintendent of police inspected the security and facilities at the prison in Upper Assam earlier in the day.

“Three cameras were not working; those have been replaced and the rest were repaired and adjusted. We have installed one new camera. The cells where the men from Punjab are lodged have good facilities,” said an electrician engaged inside the Dibrugarh jail.

Seven members linked to Amritpal’s ‘Waris Punjab De’ have been brought to jail since March 19 including Harjit Singh, who arrived in the early hours of Tuesday. Two other Waris Punjab De members identified as Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal and Gurinder Pal Singh were also brought in on a flight from Delhi amid tight security on the same day.

Harjit was flown to Assam a day after he surrendered to the Punjab Police. The four other members of Waris Punjab De are Daljit Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and ‘Pradhanmantri’ Bajeka.

The Dibrugarh jail is now under 24-hour three-tier security blanket. “There are several layers of security in cells where Amritpal’s aides have been lodged. It’s a coordination between Centre and state. All seven have been detained under the NSA,” said deputy commissioner Biswajit Pegu.

According to sources, a team of the NIA will soon reach Dibrugarh.

Historical central jail built by the British

In 1857, during the sepoy mutiny, the British government started the construction of Dibrugarh Central Jail – the first prison in the Northeast. Two years after its construction, the Dibrugarh Central Jail became operational. No prisoner has been hanged since independence, therefore, the gallows are no longer a part of the jail system.

The 163-year-old Dibrugarh Central Jail has witnessed numerous historical events – from the sepoy mutiny during the British rule to the freedom movement, Assam movement of the 1980s, dominance of ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) in the state and the recent anti-CAA movement.

At present, there are 24 male inmates and four female wards in the central jail that can accommodate 680 prisoners in all. There are also conference rooms inside the jail, along with places of worship, meditation centres, libraries and facilities to rehabilitate inmates into the mainstream.

Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi was also lodged in the Dibrugarh Central Jail after being arrested on sedition charges. The government has now proposed to move the central jail from its previous location to Khanikar in a cabinet meeting at Dibrugarh.

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