Following the escape of convict Jaishankar from the Bangalore Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara, two prison walls connecting the main outer wall have been demolished as part of increased security measures in the jail.
Taking presspersons on a tour around the prison on Tuesday, Deputy Inspector General of Prisons V.S. Raja showed the demolished wall, about 25-foot-high, that connected directly to the prison hospital, which was used by Jaishankar to jump over the peripheral wall. The other connecting wall, which stands some metres away from the first wall towards the back of the prison, has also been demolished. Besides this, Mr. Raja said the entire perimeter of the peripheral wall would be secured with barbwire fencing.
As many as 4,141 inmates are lodged in the prison, of which 1,323 are convicts and 2,818 are undertrials. However, there is only one warden for every 150 inmates, officials say. Presently, there are 135 police personnel deployed at the prison apart from 50 Home Guards. However, only 50 per cent of the home guards are available exclusively for prison duty. Officials said about 400 additional personnel are required.
Only five of the 50 CCTV cameras are functional on the premises.
Mr. Raja announced that paid telephone service would be introduced at the central prison, similar to that introduced in Tihar jail. This system would restrict inmates from contacting more than two numbers, which would be registered with the police beforehand.The officials dismissed rumours of luxury items being provided to “VIP” inmates.
