Sikhs Use Turban to Strangle Guard in Foiled Jailbreak
Sikh prisoners strangled a guard with an unwound turban today during a foiled jailbreak in which one inmate was killed, Punjab state police said.
The guard, Gurcharan Singh, was choked to death as eight prisoners attempted to escape from Nabha jail, about 50 miles southwest of Chandigarh, police said.
The prisoners, all awaiting trial on charges of terrorism, used their turbans as ropes to get over the walls, but the escape was foiled when security forces posted outside opened fire. Turbans are part of Sikhs’ traditional dress and typically are 15 feet long.
One prisoner was seriously injured in the shooting and later died, police said.
The United News of India said another prisoner was “severely beaten up by the jail staff” and was hospitalized in critical condition.
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