May 2021 Chitrakoot jail firing: Panel recommends deployment of paramilitary force

Lucknow, Jul 31 (PTI) A judicial commission constituted to investigate the case of death of three prisoners in firing in May 2021 in the district jail in UP's Chitrakoot has, among other things, recommended deployment of independent paramilitary force.

The judicial commission's report, signed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, was presented in the state assembly on Wednesday.

Three prisoners, Meraj, Mukeem Kala and Anshu Dixit died in Chitrakoot district jail on May 14, 2021. On May 22, the government constituted a single-member judicial inquiry commission under the chairmanship of retired judge Shashikant.

The report says during the investigation, evidences showed some flaws in the arrangements of Chitrakoot district jail. Although some improvements have been made in the jail after the incident, there is still a lot of scope for improvement, it adds.

The report says arms, mobiles and other unauthorised items reach the jail due to lack of search and are used by the prisoners for illegal purposes. This problem can be solved provided the independent paramilitary force of the central or state government is given the responsibility of searching every visitor coming to the jail, it says.

But such personnel should not be deployed in any one jail for more than three-four months, it adds.

The report also recommends that the gatekeepers and effective personnel posted at the main gate of the jail should be instructed to ensure that no person including the employees enters the jail without making an entry about himself in the register.

The report recommends that prison personnel should also be deployed at the other gate to search the goods. Apart from this, while deploying prison employees at the main gate of the barrack, care should be taken to ensure that the main gate and its window are opened only when needed and the rest of the time it should be kept locked, it says.

The report says adequate number of women head jail warders and women jail warders should be deployed in Chitrakoot district jail so that no woman can enter the jail without proper search.

The report recommends that all important places of Chitrakoot jail should be brought under the surveillance of CCTV cameras and a local agency should be given responsibility on priority basis to ensure that these cameras remain functional at all times.

The report says the delay in presenting the investigation report on the table of both the houses of the legislature is procedural and it has happened due to the examination of the investigation report and consultation of various departments and action on it.

On 14 May 2021, in Chitrakoot jail, prisoner Anshu Dixit shot dead Meraj of Mukhtar Ansari gang and gangster Mukeem Kala. Later, Anshu was also killed in an encounter with jail personnel and police. PTI SLM CDN CDN KSS KSS