The Superintendent of Dibrugarh Central Jail, Nipen Das was arrested on Thursday night in connection with the recovery of electronics and digital gadgets from the NSA cell where Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh and his nine associates are held. The arrest of the jail superintendent comes three weeks after the recovery of a spy-camera pen, smartphone with a SIM card, a keypad phone, a TV remote with a keyboard, pen drives, Bluetooth headphones and speakers and a smartwatch from the NSA cell at Dibrugarh Central Jail. The discovery of sophisticated devices inside the high-security prison had raised serious concerns among law enforcement agencies, prompting enhanced security measures within the jail premises.
Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Veera Venkata Rakesh Reddy confirmed the arrest of Nipen Das in a press conference on Friday. He stated, “The Superintendent of Dibrugarh Central Jail, Nipen Das, was arrested after his involvement in the case was found based on electronic and digital evidence during the investigation. There was sufficient evidences against him. It is a very serious matter as unauthorised items were discovered in the cells of Amritpal Singh and his aides, who are NSA detainees and not ordinary prisoners. Nipen Das has been charged under various sections, including section 13 (1) B of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, section 75 of Assam Prisons Act, and section 120 B (party to criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.”
Amritpal Singh, a prominent pro-Khalistani figure and the leader of Waris Punjab De, has been held at the Dibrugarh Central Jail since April 23, 2023, following his arrest in Punjab. Accompanying him in the jail are nine of his close aides including Papalpreet Singh, Daljeet Singh Kalsi, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bhukhanwala, Harjit Singh, Basant Singh, Gurinder Singh Aujla and Bhagwant Singh alias Pradhan Mantri Bajeke, all facing charges under the National Security Act (NSA) and other criminal offenses.
