Videos showing prisoners enjoying preferential treatment was during BJP's rule: Minister

Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 18 (PTI) Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said most of the videos recently aired by media, purportedly showing inmates enjoying preferential treatment inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru, were from the previous BJP government's tenure, and he has records to prove it.

He said the government is making honest efforts to stop illegal activities at prisons by enforcing tighter measures.

The minister was responding to a question from MLC Kishore Kumar in the Legislative Council.

Recently, there was a row over videos purportedly showing inmates, including notorious criminals and a terror suspect enjoying preferential treatment inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru.

"There is a prison manual as to how prisoners should be and how action should be taken against them. But, contrary to it, things have been happening for a long time now, with the supply of drugs, phones and weapons to prisoners, from outside. This is not new, this is not something that has been happening after our government came to power," Parameshwara said.

Pointing at media reports about the dance party, supply of alcohol and its manufacture within the prison, and other illegal activities, with videos, he said, "You will be surprised, most of the videos were from your (BJP) government period. I will share information. I'm not blaming you." Leader of Opposition, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, taking exception, said the minister should not try to escape from responsibility by making comparisons.

Stating that he was not escaping from any responsibility or making any comparisons, Parameshwara said, he was only stating facts about the videos that were telecasted on news channels recently and when they were recorded.

"I'm not shirking my responsibility. We are here to stop illegal activities and regulate things in jail by taking strict measures," he said.

Several officers have been suspended and they will be dismissed based on the inquiry report, if found wrong. "We will not spare them," he added.

The minister said that the official head of the Prisons department has been changed, and Alok Kumar has been appointed as Director General of Police (Prisons).

Raids have been conducted and 50-60 phones, knives among others have been recovered in the last 15 days.

Speaking about issues concerning the functioning of jammer towers at the prisons and its affecting signals in nearby areas causing inconvenience to the general public, he said, "We are talking to service providers and looking at whether it is technically possible to regulate it." PTI KSU KH