Pramesh S Jain
The Karnataka government has suspended the jail authorities and staff of Kalaburagi Central Prison for negligence and dereliction of duty following the escape of three inmates,while one of the fugitives has already been apprehended as part of the police manhunt,Home Minister,Priyank Kharge said on Wednesday.
In a statement to the media,he said that the police officers had been directed to take effective measures to trace and arrest the escaped prisoners, leading to the capture of one inmate.Efforts are continuing to nab the remaining two.
He said that since assuming office,he has conducted review meetings of every division under the Home Department and initiated measures to strengthen and modernise all wings of the department.
He announced that inspections of prisons across Karnataka would be carried out in the coming days to assess prison conditions and review the efficiency of prison staff.
The government is committed to implementing prison reforms,upgrading security systems and curbing illegal activities inside prisons,”he said.
Responding to criticism from the BJP over the Kalaburagi prison escape,the Home Minister accused the opposition of ignoring similar incidents during its own tenure.
He pointed out that eight inmates had escaped from Koppal District Prison in 2010 when the BJP was in power,describing it as one of the biggest prison escape incidents in the state’s history,and questioned whether the BJP considered it a failure of its then Home Minister.
Mr.Kharge also referred to allegations that Parappana Agrahara Central Prison had turned into a“guest house” for inmates during the BJP government’s tenure,with prisoners allegedly enjoying luxurious facilities.He asked whether the BJP would accept responsibility for those lapses.
The Home Minister maintained that the present government is focused on strengthening prison administration through reforms, enhanced security measures and improved monitoring to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Meanwhile,Prisons DG Alok Kumar has issued an order to suspend eight jail staffers,Jail Superintendent Rakesh Kamble,Assistant Superintendent, B Suresh,Jailer Shrimantgouda Patil,night shift warders,Ninganna, Yamanappa Karubara,Basavaraj Metri,Savitri Talakeri, and Azeem for dereliction of duty.
