Man charged with assault after incident at Regina jail

A 29-year-old man is facing an assault charge after an incident at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre earlier this year, although the specific details remain unclear.

The alleged assault was reported to the White Butte RCMP, which has jurisdiction over the correctional centre, on Feb. 25.

After an investigation and consultation with provincial Crown prosecutors, police charged Janith Rajamanthri of Winnipeg with one count of assault. He’s to appear in court in Regina in July.

While the RCMP said in a release that the alleged assault involved “a guard and an inmate,” neither the RCMP nor the Ministry of Justice would clarify whether Rajamanthri was the guard or the inmate in question.

Reached by phone, an RCMP spokesperson said they could not release information related to employment, and instead directed inquiries to the ministry. In an email, a justice spokesperson said the ministry could not comment on matters which are currently before the courts, and directed inquiries to the RCMP.

980 CJME located Rajamanthri’s name on previous Government of Saskatchewan public accounts documents, suggesting he was the guard and not the inmate. In 2020-21, Rajamanthri or a person with an identical name was an employee of the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rajamanthri received a suspended sentence and 12 months probation on Jan. 26, 2024.