Undertrial killed in prison van: ‘Young, well-built’ officers will now be deployed in jail vans to escort prisoners

On January 2, an undertrial prisoner was beaten to death by three other prisoners inside a jail van. Following this, senior officers scrutinised the deployment strategy of policemen in the vehicle and found that they could not control the prisoners, said a source.

He added that a few of the policemen were middle-aged.

“Senior officers have created a new set of norms and have tasked young policemen with escorting prisoners. Their duty will be changed regularly. They will not be allowed to escort the same undertrial more than once in a month as they may get friendly with each other,” said the source.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (3rd Battalion) S K Tewari has confirmed the development.

All assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) and reserve inspectors (RIs) have been asked to keep a watchful eye while assigning duties to policemen,
said sources.

As per protocol, the 3rd Battalion gets the list of undertrials a day before they are to be produced in court.

Policemen who are available are then assigned the task. Their duty is assigned on spot by an RI, under the supervision of an adjutant ACP.

The battalion has also decided to appeal to the court for permission to handcuff prisoners who might cause trouble. “This is a major problem that an escorting official has to face. Policemen try to clutch at prisoners by holding on to their hands. Prisoners can easily shake off their hold and escape,” said a police officer.

The selection of ‘young and well-built’ personnel is underway, said the officer.