Chandigarh, Sep 18 (IANS) The Jail Department of Punjab on Monday denied media reports pertaining to usage of mobile phones in state prisons by terming a viral video viral of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi as misleading, baseless and not connected to the jails of the state.
A news channel had flashed a video of September 17 in which high-risk prisoner Lawrence Bishnoi could be seen speaking to now arrested cow vigilante Monu Manesar through a WhatsApp video call.
Manesar is one of the prime accused in inciting violence in Haryana Nuh district. In the video, another person could be seen sitting in a chair with Bishnoi.
The video was uploaded on social media and it was alleged that Bishnoi was using a mobile phone while in custody at the Bathinda jail.
The inquiry into the matter was entrusted to the Inspector General of Prisons. After probe, it was found that the person sitting with Bishnoi in the video was Rajkumar aka Raju Bishodhi, an official statement said.
Rajkumar was lodged at the district jail in Sri Muktsar Sahib for 28 days from January 25, 2021.
As per official record, Bishnoi was lodged in the Central Jail in Faridkot till 2018, and was handed over to some other state's police on January 4, 2018.
Subsequently, he stayed in prisons of other states and was brought back to the Central Jail in Bathinda on September 24, 2022. He was again handed over to Gujarat Police on August 24, 2023.
In the wake of substantial evidence, the Inspector General of Prisons denied the fact that the video was recorded in any of the prisons in the state as both Bishnoi and Rajkumar did not stay together in any prison in Punjab.