31 inmates flee Moga de-addiction centre after scuffle with guard

Bathinda: Thirty-one inmates escaped from a govt de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Jhaner village in Moga's Dharamkot subdivision after a scuffle with a security guard during dinner on Monday.Police said the inmates pushed aside the guard and fled through the main gate when it was opened to serve food.Some of those who escaped were facing cases under Section 64A of the NDPS Act, which grants immunity from prosecution to addicts voluntarily undergoing treatment.Around 300 inmates are lodged at the facility, which houses a de-addiction centre run by the district unit of Red Cross Society and a rehabilitation centre managed by Moga health department.Police teams rushed to the spot and contacted families of the escaped inmates. Officials said security at the centre was being strengthened.Moga deputy commissioner Sagar Setia said eight of those who escaped were facing NDPS cases involving small quantities and "might be under influence". He said an ADC-led fact-finding committee, along with the SP headquarters, had been asked to submit a report within 24 hours. "We want every lapse to be examined and fixed to avoid recurrence of such incidents," Setia said.This is not the first such incident at the centre. Fifteen inmates had escaped from the rehabilitation facility in May 2023. Days later, another inmate suffered fractures while attempting to flee, and a 26-year-old inmate from Ludhiana died by suicide inside the centre.