After the escape of eight Students of Islamic Movement of India men from prison, the Madhya Pradesh government will be electrifying fences at the Bhopal Central Jail, The Indian Express reported. Director General (Jail) Sanjay Chaudhary told the publication that the area of the jail housing “terror suspects and hardened criminals” will be made a high-security zone.
Former Director General of Police, Nandan Dubey, was directed to investigate security lapses the day the eight SIMI members escaped from prison. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had ordered an audit of prisons after visiting the central jail on Wednesday.
The report added that just one constable was on duty on Monday, when the men had escaped. According to NDTV, 80 guards from Bhopal Central Jail were on duty for Very Important Persons on Monday. There are around 3,300 prisoners at the jail. State jail minister Kusum Mehdele told NDTV, “I think you are exaggerating… I have a driver and two people in my office...I don’t know about the rest but can't be what you are saying. But I still will investigate.”
The eight prisoners had allegedly escaped using bedsheets to scale the walls and had killed a security guard using sharpened steel plates. They were killed in an alleged encounter hours after their escape. Several investigations have been ordered into the jailbreak, as well as the encounter, including a judicial probe into how the SIMI men were killed.
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