Bengaluru jail row: Hitendra Committee on prison security the fifth in over a decade

In conscionable implicit a decade, the Karnataka authorities has formed 5 committees to urge measures to tighten information astatine the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison — 4 nether the Congress authorities and 1 nether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime. 

The latest was formed connected Monday (November 10, 2025) led by R. Hitendra, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Karnataka. Just similar the erstwhile 4 times, this committee was besides formed successful effect to a caller expose of inmates astatine the prison having entree to television, mobile phones and alcohol, adjacent arsenic astir of the recommendations made by the erstwhile 4 committees are gathering dust.

“The State authorities has been indulging successful a knee-jerk absorption each clip determination is an exposure of inmates accessing immoderate contraband. Most of these committees person lone bought clip and created an content that enactment was being taken, without addressing basal issues successful the situation similar overcrowding, ample vacancies, removing subjectivity from processes successful the prison, which astir of these reports person flagged,” said a elder official, who did not privation to beryllium named. 

“Fence eating crop” 

“The occupation astatine the situation is mostly a lawsuit of collusion of officers — obstruction eating the crop. Suspensions of little fertile officers won’t help. In atrocious cases, officers request to beryllium sternly dealt with, including dismissals from service, to instill subject successful the rest. We request to nonstop situation unit for regular in-service training, which is simply a rarity now,” a elder serviceman said. 

However, helium said that the persistent problems of overcrowding of Parappana Agrahara Central Prison and ample standard vacancies — astir 40% — which are the cardinal issues, stay unaddressed. Splitting the jailhouse and gathering a caller jailhouse was an implicit necessity, different serviceman said. 

The jammers request to beryllium overhauled to guarantee determination is nary web wrong the prison, reports person repeatedly said.

“Remove subjectivity”

One of the large recommendations of each the 4 committees has been to enactment towards removing subjectivity from assorted processes successful the prison. 

For instance, 2 reports person recommended that the fig of CCTV cameras successful the situation should not lone beryllium increased, but the bid centre analysing this unrecorded provender indispensable beryllium manned by a 3rd enactment bureau and not the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services. In fact, 1 study has suggested that the provender from the prison’s bid centre beryllium linked to Bengaluru City Police’s Command Centre for a unrecorded review.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara has connected Monday ordered specified a Command Centre to beryllium acceptable up successful the prison implicit the adjacent 2 weeks, but determination is nary clarity connected who volition show the unrecorded provender and rise alarms implicit violations. 

Use of bodycams

One of the committee reports has recommended that each situation unit - from a sentry to the jailhouse superintendent - indispensable mandatorily beryllium made to deterioration bodycams, but it has not been implemented yet. Any proviso of nutrient oregon different worldly coming from extracurricular should beryllium thoroughly checked, videographed and past lone sent in, reports person recommended. This is besides not being followed thoroughly, sources said. This is often the transmission for contraband to participate the prison, sources said. 

At slightest 2 committee reports person recommended that separation of inmates is simply a must. *Optional for print: The separation of women, undertrials and convicts is not enough. Petty offenders request to beryllium separated from those successful jailhouse for superior offences, addicts from non-addicts to drugs, panic suspects and overseas nationals should besides beryllium kept separate, reports person recommended. Ends*

Allocation of barracks

Moreover, subjectivity needs to beryllium removed successful adjacent allocation of barracks. A circular robin strategy should beryllium followed to allocate barracks and each period the strategy needs to beryllium overhauled again, 1 of the reports recommends. Any exceptions to beryllium made to the circular robin strategy person to beryllium recorded successful penning with capable reasoning by the superintendent, the study says. 

One of the reports says that aesculapian officers should not beryllium posted astatine the situation for implicit a year. “When we bash not let radical to settee down, systems settee in. This should beryllium the guiding principle,” a elder authoritative said. 

Most of the amerciable activities hap during nighttime clip and nary elder situation unit are usually present. A caller study has recommended that a superintendent fertile serviceman should beryllium connected work successful the situation during nighttime clip truthful that determination is accountability.