Joint Superintendent at Viyyur jail threatened for foiling attempt to smuggle cigarettes

Thiruvananthapuram: A deputy prison officer (DPO) illegally brought in cigarettes for prisoners at the Viyyur central prison here. The Joint Superintendent who caught him red-handed in the act, was threatened by two other deputy prison officers. The two DPOs entered the living quarters and threatened the senior official who is due to retire next year. The Kerala Prisons and Correction Services department has begun an inquiry into the serious breach of discipline.

The inquiry will also investigate attempts to hush up the seizure of cigarettes by not reporting the incident. It is an open secret that prisoners get the help of officials to smuggle intoxicating substances into jails. The illegal activity is centred on the kitchens and canteens in the jails.

Recently, ganja was seized from a vehicle that was transporting vegetables to the kitchen of the Kannur central jail.

At Viyyur, the officer who helped in smuggling the cigarettes was the DPO who is the officer in-charge of the canteen. He went out on a scooter during the duty hours and bought cigarette packets which he handed over to a prisoner looking after cattle outside the main gate of the jail.

The Joint Superintendent caught him in the act and carried out a body search of the DPO. The Joint Superintendent relented after the DPO apologised and other officials intervened in the issue. Later, two other DPOs reached the quarters and threatened the Joint Superintendent. It is alleged that they challenged the Joint Superintendent to search their bodies and humiliated the senior officer by blowing cigarette smoke into his face. One of them had undergone suspension in an earlier instance.

Even after the second-ranking officer in the central jail was threatened and humiliated for carrying out his duty, no report has been submitted to the headquarters of the jail department.

There are two Joint Superintendents at the central jail. Though attempts were made to hush up the incident, the Director General of Prisons, Balram Kumar Upadhyay, came to know of the happening and sought a detailed report from the jail Superintendent.

All intoxicating substances and tobacco products, including cigarettes and beedis, are prohibited inside the jail. The Superintendent of the Kannur central jail, who failed to report the seizure of 3 kg of ganja, was suspended in October last.