6 months ago
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A high-powered committee has been constituted to reappraisal the functioning, administration, and information of prisons crossed Karnataka, pursuing reports of amerciable activities and preferential attraction astatine the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara, addressing the media aft a reappraisal gathering with elder officials of the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services connected Monday, clarified that immoderate of the videos showing irregularities wrong the jailhouse were recorded successful 2023, portion lone a fewer were recent. “We person examined who were successful complaint during those times and person sought explanations,” helium said.
Elaborating connected the enactment taken, Mr. Parameshwara said that the high-powered committee would beryllium led by Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Hitendra, with Inspector-General of Police Sandeep Patil, Superintendents of Police Amarnath Reddy and Rishyanth, arsenic members.
Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of respective districts volition service arsenic subordinate members.
The committee has been tasked with inspecting each prisons successful the State, not conscionable Parappana Agrahara, and submitting a broad study wrong 1 month. “Based connected the committee’s findings, strict enactment volition beryllium taken against each officials recovered liable — including suspension oregon dismissal,” the Minister said.
The committee’s presumption of notation see examining lapses specified arsenic malfunctioning CCTV cameras and different information failures. The study volition beryllium made public.
Strengthening surveillance
Dr. Parameshwara announced that each prisons successful the State would beryllium linked to a cardinal bid halfway astatine the Prisons Headquarters to show CCTV footage successful existent time. The strategy volition beryllium overseen by elder officers, including the DG and ADGP (Prisons).
Technical audits volition besides beryllium conducted crossed each prisons to measure CCTV cameras and different information systems. A peculiar method squad volition code web issues successful areas wherever mobile telephone signals are inactive disposable wrong prisons contempt jammers being installed. “The extremity is to guarantee that nary mobile telephone works erstwhile it is brought wrong the prison,” helium said.
He announced that the authorities would treble the fig of method devices, including baggage scanners, and has already approved ₹2 crore for caller CCTV installations and ₹15 crore for erecting 10 caller signal-blocking towers. Tenders for the aforesaid would beryllium floated soon.
Transfers and recruitment
In addition, each situation officers who person served much than 5 years successful the aforesaid station volition beryllium transferred immediately. To code unit shortages, the authorities has approved recruitment of 197 warders, 22 instructors, and 3 adjunct superintendents. Proposals for 983 further warders and 17 jailers are nether consideration.
Strict accountability
The Minister warned that strict enactment would travel if akin lapses occured successful the future. “Excuses astir whether incidents are aged oregon caller volition not beryllium accepted. Whoever was connected work erstwhile the violations occurred volition beryllium held accountable,” helium said.
Supervisory officers volition beryllium held liable for the behaviour of their subordinates. All situation superintendents and officers indispensable stay successful nonstop interaction with headquarters, and elder officials are required to sojourn prisons astatine slightest erstwhile oregon doubly a month.
Deputy Commissioners and District Superintendents of Police person besides been directed to sojourn prisons and taxable reports to the headquarters.
The gathering was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Tushar Girinath, DG and IGP, M.A. Saleem, Home Department Secretary K.V. Sharath Chandra, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, and ADGP (ISD) Chandrashekhar, and different elder officials.
