After the Union Government’s advisory to Jails of 9 States for strengthening security arrangements, Bastar police also went in to tizzy even as top police officials reviewed the security of Jagdalpur Central Jail Wednesday late evening. District police Jawans also held a mock drill on this occasion.
Notably, only a few days back the Central government issued an alert to nine Maoist Insurgency hit States — Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh — asking them to review and strengthen their jail security specially where Red insurgents are lodged as Rebels could resort to jail break to free their comrades.
The alert was issued after the alleged letter of top Naxal leader Mupalla laxman Rao alias Ganpati was intercepted by security forces. In Jagdalpur Central Jail presently houses 1800 inmates out of which 350 male and 55 female Maoist insurgents are lodged here due to which security of the Central jail is of paramount importance.
This is also worrisome as in 2008 Maoists had succeeded in effecting jail break and a number of insurgents escaped at that time are still out of the reach of police. Bastar police fear was palpable in view of the timing of the letter allegedly written to underground Maoist leaders exhorting them to execute jail break like acts to help escape Maoists lodged in Jails. Additional Police Superintendent of Bastar S R Salam informed that top officials of the police administration reached Central Jail premises and took stock of the security arrangements in place there. Presently, one company of security forces is deputed at the Central Jail. The officials reviewed all the arrangements besides conducting a security mock drill and analysing the response time.