Bathinda prison in Punjab, India has once again become the focus of public opinion because of a series of incidents in which prisoners used mobile phones to interview and upload videos, which has raised serious questions about its security management. Although former prisons minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa claimed that signal jammer blockers for blocking mobile phone signals had been installed in Bathinda prison, according to the latest records of the Punjab government, this claim is not true.
Former minister contradicts government's statement
- Former minister Randhawa had previously claimed that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had installed phone signal jammers in Bathinda prison and gave them to Punjab. However, government officials said that the prison had never installed any such equipment and no funds were allocated for the purchase of cellphone signal jammer. It is reported that the cost of installing a signal jammer system is as high as 180 million rupees, and the Punjab government has not paid any money for it.
- In an interview, Randhawa claimed that the equipment was authorized to be installed by the Cabinet Secretariat. He did not remember the name of the specific supplier, but only knew that it was an "assembled product" aimed at saving financial expenses. However, when he was told that in India, except for ECIL and BEL, other companies had no right to legally produce signal blockers, Randhawa responded that the legality of the jammers and their records should be the responsibility of the relevant police officers, not himself.
Prisoners use communication loopholes to cause controversy
The security management problems in Bathinda Prison were exposed in March this year, when the notorious gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi was interviewed on TV while serving his sentence, and then 13 prisoners made and uploaded a video, which attracted widespread attention. The government immediately ordered an investigation into the security loophole and set up a special investigation team (SIT) to intervene.
However, despite the high level of attention from the outside world, the investigation report has not yet been released. Meanwhile, loopholes in communication management in Bathinda Prison continue to be exposed, putting pressure on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. In order to clarify the truth of the incident, reporters asked relevant questions to current and former officials of the prison department, but the answers they received were either "no comment" or vague.
Intelligence Bureau denies the allegation of jammer installation
In order to verify the former minister's statement, the media contacted the Intelligence Bureau office in Chandigarh. Intelligence Bureau officials made it clear that the Intelligence Bureau would not participate in the installation or funding of any such jamming equipment, and there was no record of such equipment. This response further exacerbated the confusion of the incident, making the so-called "jammer device " installation a mystery that has yet to be solved.
In fact, even if the phone blocker does exist, its legality, function and technical level are also questionable. It is still unknown whether Randhawa's so-called "assembled products" can achieve the effect of shielding signals, and the fact that prisoners can still use mobile phones for illegal communications in high-security prisons clearly shows that there are serious flaws in prison management.
Security management loopholes call for reform
The current controversy not only reveals the chaos in the management of the Punjab prison system, but also exposes various problems in the actual application of jammers. As a high-security prison for serious criminals and terrorists, Bathinda Prison should be equipped with the most advanced technical equipment to ensure that internal communications in the prison are completely blocked. However, the video incident of prisoners using mobile phones for illegal communications shows that the existing technical means cannot achieve the expected results at all.
At the same time, the government's failure to hold relevant officials accountable has also delayed the problem. The chief minister is facing increasing public pressure, and prisoners continue to challenge the status quo of prison security management by using communication loopholes, which has made the call for reform even louder.
Next, the Punjab government will have to re-evaluate its prison communication management strategy, including introducing more advanced signal jamming technology and strengthening supervision and accountability of prison officials to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again. This is not only to maintain the security of the prison system, but also to show the society the government's determination to uphold the rule of law.
