Tamil Nadu CM suspends Theni jail deputy superintendent after prison escape
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay ordered the suspension of N Ramalingam and initiated action against prison staff following a jailbreak.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday suspended N Ramalingam, the deputy jail superintendent in charge of the Thekkampatti sub-jail, following a jailbreak in Theni district on October 26. According to reports from Deccan Chronicle and PTI, the suspension is due to dereliction of duty and security lapses.
The incident involved 17 prisoners who escaped after staging a fake medical emergency. The inmates reportedly pretended a prisoner was having an epileptic seizure, then overpowered a guard and seized the main gate keys. They fled toward forested areas but were all later recaptured by police.
Outlook reported that the state has also ordered a strategic reshuffle of top prison administrators and transfers of prison staff. A departmental inquiry has been initiated against 17 personnel. Additionally, Director General of Police for prisons and correctional services Dr Sandeep Rai Rathore was transferred on Thursday.
The escaped inmates are being moved to high-security correctional facilities across the state. Minister R Nirmal Kumar acknowledged procedural lapses and announced plans to improve security through CCTV surveillance, as reported by PTI.
The jailbreak follows another incident on October 20, when two convicts escaped from the Puzhal high-security prison near Chennai before being caught after a two-day search.