News

A group of armed men in police uniform broke into Nabha prison in Punjab's Patiala district on Sunday and helped several inmates escape, including dreaded Khalistan ultra and Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Mintoo.

The other fugitives include gangsters Neeta Deol, Vicky Gonder, Amandeep Doda, and another terrorist Kashmir Galwaddi.

Taking action into the lapse, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has suspended DG Prisons Sanjiv Gupta and dismissed the Nabha jail superintendent and deputy superintendent.

"Special Task force under the intelligence has been set up to track these criminals," Sukhbir Singh Badal told mediapersons.

A high alert has been raised in the entire state.

Security has been upped in the neighbouring states as well.

49-year-old Harminder Singh was arrested in 2014.

The armed men, who came in disguise, arrived at the jail around 10 AM.

According to reports, the gunmen first attacked a guard with a knife and forced their way into the prison.

The terrorists and gangsters fled in a Toyota Fortuner, a Maruti Swift and a Hyundai Verna.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has sought report from the Punjab government over the jailbreak incident.

The incident has also drawn the ruling party in Punjab several flak.

"The incident has exposed a complete breakdown of law and order in the state, " Captain Amarinder Singh of the Congress party said.