The fake entries for lemons were added when its prices surged last month. (Representational)
A jail officer in Punjab has been suspended over allegations of misusing funds allocated for inmates' diet, including a charge of adding fake entries for purchase of lemons.
The action against Gurnam Lal, superintendent of Kapurthala Modern Jail, was taken after jail records showed that about 50 kg of lemons were purchased but inmates claimed that they did not get any.
The fake entries for lemons were added when its prices had shot through the roof last month, hovering around Rs 200 per kg.
The matter came to light when an inspection team visited the jail and the inmates clearly told the team members that they did not get lemons in the ration.
Harjot Singh Bains, Punjab Minister for Jails, Mining and Tourism, then ordered an inquiry against the jail superintendent. The investigation revealed several irregularities following which Gurnam Lal was suspended, officers said.
After the allegations surfaced, ADGP (Jail) Virendra Kumar sent two senior officers to the jail for a surprise inspection on May 1. The team found that the food served to the inmates was of poor quality and inadequate.
Officers said that every chapati cooked in the jail weighed less than 50 grams, indicating that flour supplies may have been diverted too.
In their report, the probe team also said that there were irregularities in the entries for purchase of vegetables in the jail records.
The jail superintendent had shown a vegetable purchase to meet the demand of 5 days, but the inmates said the quantity was not adequate.