Prisoner-official face-off possible at Puzhal, warns Intelligence

The prisoners and their relatives have been alleging corruption and inhuman treatment by the officials. 

Though the prison Intelligence wing has reported several cases of corruption and high-handedness of the officials, no action has been initiated against the erring personnel. 

Recently, the prison Intelligence wing put out an alert saying that lives of some of the officials at Puzhal prison were at risk as a gang of prisoners, dejected over how they were being treated by the officials, had hatched a plan to get rid of them. 

“Fasts and other protests by inmates are very common inside the prison and the authorities try their best to conceal the information regarding such incidents within the prison walls. There had been several cases of prisoners violently reacting to the inhuman behaviour of prison officials,” a source from Puzhal prison told DTNEXT on condition of anonymity. 

Sources also alleged that the prison staff act as a conduit for supplying ganja and mobile phones to the prisoners, but all for a price. “The officials will do everything for money. They never mind keeping the food and other eatables we take to our relatives inside the prison for themselves. They even treat us like criminals when we go to visit our dear ones inside the prison,” said a man, whose relative is an inmate of Puzhal prison. 

Intelligence agencies have been warning about a possible face-off between the prisoners and prison staff if the issue is not addressed properly. 

“The trouble between the prisoners and prison staff is not a new one. There are allegations of corruption and we have acted against officials, who indulge in corruption. We are also trying to educate them to treat the prisoners more humanely,” a senior prison official told this newspaper.