Srinagar, Mar 4 (KNS): The security of prisons has been reviewed in Jammu and Kashmir on the directions of the Union home ministry.
Sources told KNS that the security of prisons was reviewed in Jammu and Kashmir following two incidents of jail breaks in two states in the month of November.
“The security was reviewed after directives from ministry of Home Affairs to JK government that there is no lapse on part of the jail authorities which could pave the way for prisoners’ to escape,” an official of Home Department told KNS.
The official said a team led by Director General Prisons S K Mishra visited many jails to revive their security and had submitted the report.
“There are always chances that minor scuffles could turn into major clashes as barracks of most of the prisons in Jammu and Kashmir are packed over to the capacity. Government wants to ensure that adequate security is in place in prisons. But the visited team has expressed satisfaction over security in prisons,” the official said. “The team also inspected whether the CCTV cameras are properly functioning and modern gadgets are in place,” he said.
These directives were issued after two jail breaks happened in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab in the month of November where many prisioners managed to escape.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
“During inspections we found that it is not possible for jail inmates to escape from prisons in J&K. We are also reforming prisons in the state to increase their intake capacity,” the official said.
However, he didn’t elaborate further details. According to the latest Prison Statistics India (PSI) report, there had been 83 jailbreak incidents in India between 2011 and 2015, with the highest 28 jailbreaks in 2011, followed by 26 in 2015.
In Jammu and Kashmir, there are 14 jails functional out of which 2 are central jails, 10 are district jails and 2 are sub jails whose intake capacity is around 3000. While most of them remain ‘over-crowded’ with prisoners, the police have been putting up arrestees in police stations for days together which are “vulnerable” for detainees to escape from lock-ups. According to National Crime Records Bureau records out of 184 prisioners who managed to escape from police station lock-ups in 2015, 19 fled in Jammu and Kashmir alone. (KNS)