BHOPAL: Minister for prisons Kusum Mehadale, while interacting with the media on the Vidhan Sabha premises here on Monday, said Bhopal jailbreak was a ‘minor incident’ and such things keep on happening in big countries, adding for good measure that those who had broken the jail were finally dead. Earlier, Congress MLAs, dissatisfied with the reply of Mehadale on the issue in the House, staged a walkout.
The state Congress, commenting on Mehadale terming the jailbreak as a minor incident, said that it shows how lightly the government was taking a serious issue. Some days back, the additional director general, Prisons Gajiram Meena had said that security personnel have been given instructions to shoot-at-sight those trying to escape from jail.
Congress MLA Shailendra Patel, raising the issue during Question Hour, said that as per the jail manual, the collector or his representative, is supposed to inspect jails every month prior to the jailbreak, the Bhopal jail was not inspected for two years. Patel said jail minister and deputy inspector general of police (DIG) should also inspect jails but they never did. Patel accused the government of not constituting the committees for maintaining security and making arrangements in jails.
Mehadale said she did inspect the jail after the incident. The jail was also inspected by additional district magistrate (ADM). But she did not admit that non-inspection was the reason behind the jailbreak.
Congress MLA Shailendra Patel, raising the issue during Question Hour, said that as per the jail manual, the collector or his representative, is supposed to inspect jails every month prior to the jailbreak, the Bhopal jail was not inspected for two years. Patel said jail minister and deputy inspector general of police (DIG) should also inspect jails but they never did. Patel accused the government of not constituting the committees for maintaining security and making arrangements in jails.
