Punjab to deploy CISF at six high security prisons

Chandigarh, June 25 (IANS) With the growing number of incidents of hardcore criminals and gangsters openly flouting prison rules to run their criminal activities, the Punjab government has decided to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for checking and frisking at six of the 10 high-security jails in the state.

The CISF will be deployed around the high security prisons by the end of July, a government spokesman said here on Monday.

This was decided at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who directed the Jails Department to coordinate with the central authorities to expedite the process of CISF deployment at these six prisons.

The Jails Department is getting two companies of CISF from the Centre and plans to deploy one platoon each in six of the state's high-security prisons.

"The CISF personnel will be posted in Deori corridor (between two main gates of the jail), where currently frisking is done by either jail Warders/Matrons or by PESCO jawans. Watch towers on outer walls will continue to be manned by Punjab Police and Punjab Home Guard jawans," the spokesman said.

Expressing concern over security violations and sneaking of mobile phones and drugs etc into the state's prisons, the Chief Minister ordered the Jails Department to ensure efficient working of all installed Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) inside the jails.

He also ordered steps to make the law for seizure of mobile phones and drugs in prisons more stringent, with provision for the punishment for the same to run separate from the existing sentence.

The Chief Minister ordered the DGP to crack down on all such offenders and take stern action against any police or prison official found conniving in the supply of cell phones or drugs to the inmates.

Earlier, the Additional Chief Secretary Home informed the Chief Minister that out of the total 244 gangsters lodged in Punjab prisons, 86 are A-category gangsters.

"Since January 2017, more than 2000 mobile phones had been confiscated from the inmates, while 389 cases had been filed against recovery of prohibited drugs from prisoners," the spokesman said.

Taking cognizance of the death threats being issued by gangsters to police and jail officers, the chief minister ordered enhancement of the security of those directly involved in dealing with hardcore criminals and gangsters, along with their family members.