NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry is all set to issue a fresh advisory on prison and prisoners’ security in the wake of Bhopal jail break in which eight SIMI operatives escaped and were subsequently gunned down in an encounter.
The advisory will seek from the States fortification of the jail security by taking technological aids and conduct regular security audit to minimise any possible gaps in security.
The advisory which is being prepared will caution the States that both prison and prisoners’ security is the responsibility of the States. Any laxity on that count can invite judicial intervention, an official involved with the framing of the missive said.
The official said issues of prison and prisoners’ security besides law and order falls under the States List of the Constitution and the States are duty bound to secure them.
The Centre will also advise the States that technological devices such as CCTVs and sensors are a must for high-security prisons and topmost priority should be accorded to deploy them at the earliest.
The MHA Advisory will also mandate upon the States to carry out regular audit of the security systems in place in prisons and plug any loopholes in the shortest possible time.
The Centre will also emphasise on the need of segregating the hardened criminals and terrorists from ordinary prisoners so as to ensure better security ring around them and protect the undertrials or those undergoing judicial custody from getting influenced or radicalised from those convicted or facing trials for serious offences.
The move comes at a time when a huge controversy is raging over the genuineness of the Bhopal encounter in which the eight fleeing SIMI operatives were killed by the police.
This besides, the Centre will separately alert the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau units across the States to keep tabs on the activities of radical outfits whose cadres are lodged in high-security prisons so that Intelligence failure of the kind witnessed in Bhopal is not repeated. The IB’s efforts to this end will also help in checking the radicalisation bids by inimical outfits, officials added.