Fear drives cops to bow before accused

Thiruvananthapuram: It’s not money or other favours, but fear that compels many jail officials to turn a blind eye to the special privileges enjoyed by a section of prisoners, especially hardcore criminals and political prisoners.

Though it’s not an excuse for extending undue privileges, the government that punishes errant officials is equally responsible to ensure their protection, police sources point out.

Over these years, there were several instances of prison officials coming under attack inside and outside prisons, the latest being the bomb hurling on the house of an official of the Poojapura central prison here about two months back.

In the case of political prisoners, apart from the fear factor, the political backing of the criminals will also prompt an average prison official to oblige to their demands for special privileges.

“Only in exceptional cases the prison officials and even police personnel who escort hardcore prisoners take any money or other undue favours for extending special privileges. In most cases, it is fear that drives cops to kowtow to criminals,” said a senior intelligence wing official.

DGP Prisons Mr. Alexander Jacob said that there were even instances of prison officials landing in trouble for strict enforcement. There has been a general tendency among prisoners to smuggle banned objects to the prisons by hiding them in their private parts. since the prison department does not have any gadgets like body scanners to frisk those entering prisons. A prison official who ventured to thoroughly check a prisoner during a suspected bid to smuggle some banned object to the Kannur central prison had to face action after the prisoner alleged of human rights violation.