Parliamentary panel expresses concern over Indian prison system, safety

New Delhi: Parliamentary Standing Committee for Home Affairs called a meeting on Tuesday in connection with the reform in the jails system. The condition of jails in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and the issue of improvement in them were discussed in the meeting.

Senior officials of Tihar Jail were also summoned to attend the meeting. Committee members asked several questions about the lack of safety and security in the Tihar and other jails.

According to the member who attended the meeting, a Congress member asked a direct question to the top officials of Tihar Jail who were called to the meeting. He asked how it could happen that all facilities were being provided to a high-profile prisoner lodged in jail.

In the meeting, many members raised serious questions regarding the murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuria and some other matters.

Regarding the Tillu Tajpuria murder case, a member asked the Tihar Jail authorities what steps were being taken in this matter. The jail officer said, “Apart from taking action against the policemen on duty in this incident, steps will be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.”

However, the issue of Delhi’s former minister and AAP leader Satyendra Jain’s massage was also raised in the parliamentary committee, and concern was also expressed over the murders in Tihar.

According to sources in the meeting, “The members asked many questions regarding the news that had come from Tihar Jail in the past. It also includes the photographs of former Delhi minister Satyendra Jain, who was seen getting a body massage in Tihar Jail recently.”

A Committee member said that “Such incidents tarnish India’s international image and raise questions about security in prisons. Apparently an allusion to fugitives from India like Vijay Mallya who are trying to block their extradition in UK courts citing lack of security in Indian jails.”

Senior jail officers of the four states along with other top officials were also called to the meeting. BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and former police officer Brijlal is the chairman of this committee.