Several videos had gone viral on social media showing inmates at Bengaluru Central Prison getting access to luxury treatment. In one of the clips, Zuhab Hameed Shakeel Manna – ISIS recruiter – was also seen using a mobile phone.
The Karnataka government on Sunday ordered a probe after a video showing inmates at the Central Prison in Bengaluru using android phones and watching television had gone viral on social media. Seeking a report from Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) B Dayananda, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said strict action will be taken if lapses are found.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said no one should be allowed to user a phone inside a jail. He said he will soon hold a meeting over this issue, adding that the state government has already ordered the installation of CCTV cameras and jammers inside prisons.
“I have asked him (ADGP Dayananda) to give me a report. If the report is not satisfactory, I will set up a separate committee and take corrective measures. I will not tolerate this nonsense. Enough is enough, because these things should not happen again,” news agency PTI quoted Parameshwara as saying.
“They (prison officials) often say there is a shortage of staff, but the existing staff should at least perform their duties well. That is not an excuse. If they provide television, mobile phones and other things on the pretext of a lack of staff, then why should it be called a jail?” Parameshwara added.
Viral video shows jail inmates getting luxury treatment
Several videos had gone viral on social media showing jail inmates getting access to luxury treatment. In one of the clips, Umesh Reddy, a rape convict facing multiple charges of sexual offences, was seen using a phone and watching a television inside his barrack.
In another video that was shared by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya on X, Zuhab Hameed Shakeel Manna – an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recruiter – was also seen using a mobile phone. “The so-called “secure” prison has now become a luxury hub for terrorists and hardened criminals, posing a direct threat to national security,” he said.
India TV Digital, however, cannot independently verify the veracity of the video.
After the videos went viral, authorities launched an internal inquiry to take action against those responsible for providing access to luxury facilities to the inmates.
