Home Department suspends Viyyur prison superintendent for lapses in service

Thiruvananthapuram: The Superintendent of Viyyur Central Prison and Correctional Home A G Suresh has been suspended from service for serious lapses in discharge of his duties, the Kerala Home Department said on Wednesday.

An order issued by the Home Department said R Sajan, the Superintendent of Cheemeni Open Prison and Correctional Home in Kasaragod, would be replacing A G Suresh at Viyur Prison in Thrissur.

The decision on the suspension was taken on the basis of the recommendations in the report submitted by the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services (DGPCS), the order said.

The report stated that Suresh's dealings with prisoners involved in certain special and important cases were unlawful as he gave them undue freedom and also protected their illegal activities inside the jail and thereby, his actions did not conform to his charter of duties and his service rules.

The report said Suresh's actions were in serious violation of the law.

The report was based on the findings of the north region DIG M K Vinod who was tasked with investigating into the irregularities pointed out in a confidential report submitted by Thrissur City Police ACP (special branch).

The ACP, in his report, had referred to numerous mobile phone calls being made from inside the jail by a particular prisoner in violation of prison rules.

The Home Department, in its order, said after an indepth examination of the issue and based on the recommendations of the DGPCS, Suresh was suspended.

The Congress had recently criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over his alleged silence on numerous calls allegedly made from Viyyur central jail by a notorious criminal serving a life-term for the murder of a rebel Marxist leader in 2012 saying such convicts were being treated as guests of the state.

The party was referring to the recent controversy over numerous phone calls being allegedly made by Kodi Suni, convicted and awarded life-term for hacking to death Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) founder T P Chandrasekharan

According to the Home Department order, while the Superintendent of Cheemeni Open Prison would take over as Superintendent of Viyyur Central Prison, his position would be taken over by T Sudheer, the Superintendent of Tavanur Central Prison and Correctional Home in Malappuram.

The senior-most Joint Superintendent of Tavanur Central Prison has been assigned the additional charge of Superintendent there, it said.

Besides these changes, the positions of Viyur Central Prison Joint Superintendent Raju Abrahim and Viyyur High Security Prison Joint Superintendent Akhil S Nair were interchanged, the order said.

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