CM Vijay forms high-level panel to review security in TN prisons

A week after the Theni jailbreak, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday, November 2 constituted a high-level committee headed by retired IPS officer JK Tripathy to review prison security across the state and recommend measures to prevent further lapses.

According to a press release, the committee has been tasked with conducting a detailed enquiry into the security lapses that led to the recent prisoner escape in Tamil Nadu, assess the existing security architecture, standard operating procedures, technological gaps and manpower deployment in prisons.

It will also study security practices followed in other parts of the country and abroad before submitting its recommendations to the government at the earliest, the statement said.

Chaired by JK Tripathy, who is a former Director General of Police (DGP) of Tamil Nadu, the committee will have as its members K Shankar, Additional DGP and DGP of Prisons and Correctional Services, and S Rajendran, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Prisons.

Hailing from Odisha, Tripathy, a 1985 batch IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, had received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2008. He was popular for solving the 2012 bank robbery cases. He also served as Chennai City Police Commissioner and held other posts, including Inspector General of Police (Southern Zone) of the state.

The announcement of the committee comes days after 17 remand prisoners escaped from the Thekkampatti sub-jail in Theni district on the night of October 26.

According to the police, the inmates allegedly staged a medical emergency by pretending that one of them was suffering an epileptic seizure, after which prison personnel entered their cell. The prisoners then allegedly assaulted the staff before escaping. All 17 inmates were recaptured and remanded within approximately 43 hours.

Nine prison personnel have since been suspended for dereliction of duty. R Krishnaraj, Superintendent of Madurai Central Prison, has been transferred to Salem. A Parasuraman, Superintendent of Cuddalore Central Prison, has been posted in Madurai, while G Vinoth, Additional Superintendent of Salem Central Prison, has been transferred to Cuddalore.

Earlier, the government transferred Sandeep Rai Rathore, who was serving as DGP of Prisons and Correctional Services, and appointed K Shankar as the new head of the department. Rathore was posted as Chief Vigilance Officer of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL).

The Chief Minister has directed that prison security be strengthened “on a war footing” and that accountability be fixed for any negligence in duty.