Dantewara jailbreak prompts moves to beef up security

About 400 alleged Naxalite cadres, both hardcore and Maoist sympathisers, lodged in Chhattisgarh prisons.

In an effort to avoid a repeat of an incident like the Dantewara jailbreak, in which 299 prisoners had escaped on December 16, the Chhattisgarh government8217;s jails department has decided to initiate several moves to strengthen security cover in state prisons.

The step has been necessitated keeping in view that there are about 400 alleged Naxalite cadres, both hardcore and Maoist sympathisers, lodged in the state8217;s prisons. The highest number of Maoist inmates, 120, are lodged in Jagdalpur prison in Bastar, followed closely by Raipur Central prison which has 70 Maoists.

Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam stated that the government has decided to strictly adhere to the Central government circular, issued after the Jehanabad jail break in Bihar, which directs that Naxalite inmates should be separated from under trials booked for other offences. 8220;Extremist cadres will now only be housed in Central prisons, which have a better security infrastructure. In addition to this, we have also decided to post Indian Police Service officers to sensitive positions like prison security,8221; the Home Minister stated. 8220;If this norm had been followed, 105 alleged Naxalite inmates would not have been able to flee. As Dantewara prison was a sub jail, it was not meant to house highly sensitive prisoners,8221; he acceded.

After the Dantewara jail break incident, the state government has now posted Deputy Inspector General B S Marawi, an IPS cadre officer, as in charge of prison security in Chhattisgarh. He replaces DIG PD Verma from the state jail services cadre, who had been suspended following the December 16 incident.

The government has also decided to improve the training facility for its jail guards. Director General of Police Prisons SK Paswan stated that the government would provide special training to jail security staff. 8220;Drawn from prisons located in various parts of the state, these officers would be given training in batches at Police Training College to make them up-to-date in dealing with growing number of Naxalites in prisons,8221; he stated.

There are also plans to install CCTV cameras and increase the strength of armed securitymen on prison duty. These steps come after the ambitious project launched by Chhattisgarh government earlier this year to connect prisons with courts through video conferencing. The project was started on a pilot basis at Raipur Central prison and will be expanded to other prisons, holding Maoist cadres, in the state soon.

The government claims that these e-courts would be helpful in improving security of sensitive prisons as hard core Naxals and dreaded criminals could be produced before the designated court without the fear of them being able to flee. Apart from about 400 alleged Naxalite cadres there are approximately 4,000 under trial detainees in various prisons of the state.