Chennai: After the ‘great escape’ of 17 undertrials from Theni district’s Thekkampatti Jail, the Tamil Nadu Prisons and Correctional Services Department has ordered the deployment of armed guards across all central and district jails, beginning Wednesday.
The Theni jailbreak has exposed multiple security lapses at the Thekkampatti sub-jail: only four prison staffers were on duty on Monday night despite nine required; the prison superintendent had left the premises at the time of the incident; another guard had gone out to buy food; all nine watchtowers were unmanned; and the main gate had been left open.
On Monday, when inmates raised a false alarm about a prisoner suffering an epileptic seizure, jail staffers unlocked three gates and rushed inside without locking them from within, a breach of protocol. The prisoners then attacked the guards, seized the keys, assaulted the guards and simply walked out through the main entrance, bypassing the three-tier security arrangements.
The jail was severely overcrowded, holding 334 inmates against a sanctioned capacity of 200. As many as 17 inmates being kept in the same cell has also been a point of criticism against the government authorities.
The security audit at all the prisons currently underway was in the works after the recent escape of two prisoners from Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai last week. The two inmates escaped in separate incidents within 24 hours, one a 21-year-old Nepalese undertrial and the other a 42-year-old Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act convict. Both were, however, recaptured within two days; seven assistant jailers were suspended for the security lapses.
As part of the security overhaul, watchtower personnel will now be allowed to open fire to prevent any escape attempt, Director General of Police (Prisons) Sandeep Rai Rathore said. After the completion of the audit, further security measures will also be implemented at prisons statewide, and the standard operating procedure revised.
Rathore confirmed that watchtowers will have armed personnel instructed to shoot immediately if there is any kind of escape attempt. This is a major change, as existing practice at most Tamil Nadu prisons features unarmed guards on watchtowers. All prisons will also be required to maintain functioning alarm systems.
The incident came as one of the state’s largest jailbreaks in three decades. The prison authorities have admitted the jailbreak as the result of human error and security lapses. Nine prison staff of various ranks were suspended on Tuesday, and a detailed inquiry is underway. By Tuesday evening, police had recaptured 13 of the 17 escapees through intensive combing operations involving special teams, drones, and local inputs.
The remaining four are still being pursued. Police and special team personnel continue to hunt them, with heightened checks along the Tamil Nadu- Kerala border and in surrounding districts.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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