Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Prison wall collapse keeps authorities on tenterhooks

Taking no chances: Policemen monitoring the repair work to the outer wall of the Gulbarga prison.

GULBARGA: A portion of the outer wall of the Gulbarga Central Prison, on the outskirts of the city, has collapsed leaving a gaping hole in it.

Although the wall collapsed a week ago, the prison authorities kept the incident under wraps and took up repair works to close the hole extending to more than 12 feet. The adjacent portion of the wall also developed cracks and will have to be reconstructed.

The prison authorities were tight-lipped about the incident and the steps taken to prevent the possible escape of inmates. However, sources in the police said that the prison authorities had written to them to provide 24-hour security near the damaged portion of the wall till the repair works were completed.

A platoon of the KSRP has been stationed near the damaged portion of the wall with armed constables keeping a constant vigil round-the-clock. The prison authorities have installed search lights and electrified the entire portion where the wall has collapsed.

The outer wall of Gulbarga prison had collapsed more than eight times on earlier occasions. The four-decade-old prison houses 838 inmates, including 431 undertrials. About 10 feet away from the collapsed wall, barrack No 08, 09, 10, 11, and 12 are situated, which house undertrials.

Alleged terror suspect and member of Lakshar-e-Taiba Abdul Rehman is at present lodged in the prison.

As a precautionary measure, the prison authorities have confined all the inmates in their cells and even while serving food, only small groups of the inmates are taken under heavy security to the mess. For some inmates, the food is being served in the cell itself.

Usually, both the convicts and the undertrials spend at least six hours outside their cell inside the prison premises. This has been totally curtailed owing to the wall collapse. The repair works of the damaged portion of the wall are expected to be completed in a week or two.

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