Chattisgarh jailbreak due to state government negligence

NEW DELHI: Even as the Union home ministry went about the drill of seeking a detailed report on Sunday’s daring jailbreak from the Chhattisgarh government, the fact that the incident took place barely a day after the special taskforce on Naxalism discussed measures for security of jails in extremism-hit states highlights the total disconnect between strategy and its implementation on the ground.

While the Centre has, following the infamous Jehanabad jailbreak in 2005, been exhorting the Left-wing extremism-hit states to beef up security at jails housing Naxalites and their sympathisers, the states have been lax, limiting the upgrade to central jails and the bigger state-level prisons.

It was only after 2005 that the states had, in accordance with the advice of the Centre, shifted the prominent Naxalite leaders and commanders facing trial from smaller district-level prisons to Central prisons. It was perhaps, thanks to this initiative, that the Dantewada jailbreak did not cost the Chhattisgarh police too dear: Of the 105 Naxalites said to have escaped, most were either low-level functionaries or sympathisers from the local sangam dal.

It has been learnt here that the security of the Dantewada prison was lax as it housed only low-level functionaries of Naxalites. The prison was reportedly highly understaffed, with only five of the required strength of 16 being present. The special taskforce on Naxalism, the operational strategy co-ordination mechanism headed by a special secretary in the MHA, had wound up its latest meeting in Bhubaneswar, having discussed, among other things, better security at jails in the affected states.

A reality check is said to have been taken on the states’ follow-up on measures like better lighting at jails, improved manpower, better training of jail staff and installation of latest surveillance equipment to keep a watch on the inmates.

However, with Sunday’s incident at Dantewada mocking at the Centre’s efforts to ensure better jail security, Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta has now sought a detailed report on the matter. The Chhattisgarh government is expected to answer questions as to why the jail was so poorly staffed when the strength of inmates was over 370, and why the staff did not put up resistance and allowed their weapons to be looted by the inmates. The jailbreak is already the subject of a magisterial inquiry.

Mr Gupta on Monday also directed Chhattisgarh to beef up security and surveillance at all jails in the state. According to the agencies, the state has been asked to improve manpower in the jails, provide better training to jail staff and install modern surveillance equipment at prisons to keep an eye on activities of the inmates lodged in the jail. Jail security is also being reviewed in all the neighbouring extremism-hit states, including Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand.