Minister Acknowledges Procedural Lapses in Theni Jailbreak; CCTV, Scanners Planned

Responding to opposition criticism over the October 26 jailbreak, Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar acknowledged lapses in prison administration and said the government was reviewing security arrangements across prisons.

"There are certain protocols for opening gates and maintaining keys. We are identifying these process lapses and examining security gaps in all prisons," Kumar told reporters here.

The state government was in the process of procuring CCTV cameras and scanning machines and increasing the strength of prison personnel. Measures to upgrade security had been initiated, with separate budgetary allocations made to turn all prisons into high-security facilities, he said.

The inmates lodged at the sub-jail in Theni district allegedly faked a medical emergency and overpowered the guards after a cell door was opened on Monday night. They subsequently assaulted other guards, snatched the keys and escaped. However, their escape was short-lived, as police teams launched an intensive search operation and recaptured them in batches. Eight of the escapees were found hiding in thickets with the help of drones.

Nine prison guards and officials were suspended over the security lapse. The state government also transferred DGP Sandeep Rai Rathore from the post of head of Prison Services and appointed ADGP K Shankar in his place.

A key procedural failure was the alleged violation of standard night-time cell-opening protocols. Prison procedures require adequate security personnel to be present before cells housing high-risk or multiple remand prisoners are opened during lock-up hours, sources said.

When the inmates allegedly simulated an epileptic seizure to create the impression of a medical emergency, the duty warders opened the cell to provide assistance instead of first alerting the control room and securing adequate reinforcement, the sources said.

There was also a significant delay between the escape and the formal alert to the local police, giving the fugitives time to scatter across the district, sources said.

Further, despite five of the escapees being accused in high-profile cases, the sub-jail lacked additional internal security barriers that could have prevented them from escaping after breaching the primary cell, they said.

Kumar acknowledged that a shortage of prison personnel had compromised security enforcement.

The sub-jail was functioning with personnel well below its sanctioned strength, with only 11 staff members available during the night shift to manage the facility. The shortage allegedly enabled the inmates to overpower the guards, seize the keys and escape through the main entrance, sources said.

The minister pointed to deficiencies in security infrastructure, such as emergency alarm systems, automatic locking mechanisms and CCTV coverage. These shortcomings had hampered real-time monitoring of incidents and the ability to secure the facility, he said.