Commandos to guard jails in Kerala

:In the wake of seizure of mobile phones and drugs from prison inmates, Kerala government Wednesday decided to post commandos of the Indian Reserve Battalion to guard jails in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Stringent action will be taken against officials in case of violation of prison rules,Vijayansaid while replying to a submission moved by Congress MLA K C Joseph in the Assembly.

He said the police had been conducting raids in jails in the past few days, as the the situation inside was not really "jail-like".

"We have conducted raids in the jails after we came to know that the situation inside the prisons were not really jail-like. Police seized many materials, from the inmates, which were not allowed inside the jail," Vijayan said.

Recently, in two separate raids in the Kannur and Viyyur Central jails,nearly 30 mobile phones, chargers, power banks, sim cards, knives, narcotic substances including Ganja were seized by police.

In the wake of seizure of mobile phones from the inmates, Vijayan said his government will install jammers in prison.

"We will ensure that all the CCTVs are up and running. Will install jammers and at the prison gates, the Scorpions batch from Indian Reserve Battalion will be deployed," Vijayan said.

In early morning raids conducted on Saturday, the police team led by Prisons DGP Rishi Raj Singh had seized the banned materials from inmates of Kannur Central jail.

Thrissur city police Commissioner Yatish Chandra led the team for the raid in the Viyyur Central jail.

Joseph said the jails, which are supposed to be a correctional facility is now becoming a safe haven for criminals.

"The criminals inside the jail have access to all modern technology including smart phones. There are guys who operate gold smuggling from inside the jail," Joseph said.

Vijayan said some of the inmates from whom these materials were seized, have been transferred to different jails.