The main accused booked for arson and violence in the Kapurthala jail riot has been identified as an inmate previously involved in rioting and arson during a similar incident at the Gurdaspur jail in 2024.An FIR has been registered against 31 inmates of Central Jail, Kapurthala, in connection with the recent riot. A state-level inquiry into the incident has been ordered under Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma.The inquiry will ascertain the causes and lapses that led to the violence on the night of May 23-24 at the Kapurthala jail and suggest remedial measures.The four primary conspirators in the Kapurthala jail riot have been identified as Gurpartap Singh of Sekhwan, Gurdaspur; Khushalveer Singh of Tarn Taran; Sarwan Singh of Amritsar; and Balram Balloo of Sultanpur Lodhi. Officials said all four have multiple cases against them, including charges under the NDPS Act and for causing bodily harm.Officials said Gurpartap was also involved in rioting and arson during a prison riot at Gurdaspur jail in 2024, where inmates took to the roof.To prevent further clashes, the 31 inmates have been segregated from other prisoners, and many have been transferred to other jails in the state. A senior official said this was done to “break up groups” inside the jail.Officials added that the accused in the Kapurthala jail riot case will also be brought in for questioning on a production warrant.Besides the state-level inquiry headed by Ludhiana CP Swapan Sharma, the matter is also being probed by a Kapurthala-based SIT comprising DSP Sheetal Singh, Kapurthala; the SHO, Cybercrime, Kapurthala; ACP (West), Kapurthala; and members of Jalandhar Police Commissionerate.Speaking about the state-level inquiry, a state official said, “Commissioner of Police Ludhiana Swapan Sharma will be in overall charge of the inquiry into the Kapurthala jail riot. The inquiry will examine the riot, procedural lapses, causes of the incident, and suggest remedial measures. Allegations of forgery of a senior official’s signatures during the shifting of inmates will also be probed.”While senior police officials have claimed the riot was caused by a clash, it has also been alleged that it stemmed from anger among inmates over the administration’s inmate-shifting process after a senior jail official’s signatures were allegedly forged. On the night of May 23-24, 100 to 150 prisoners housed in Barrack No. 4 of a prison block in Kapurthala broke out and vandalised the prison. They set fire to property, broke gates and grills, and streamed live videos in which they accused the police of ‘dhakka’ (injustice).