Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

BJP stages protest in front of Central Jail

— Photo: S. Gopakumar

Protest mode: BJP workers and prisoners’ relatives stage a protest in front of the Central Jail in the city on Monday against the alleged harassment of prisoners.

Thiruvananthapuram: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers staged a protest in front of the Central Prison at Poojappura on Monday accusing jail wardens of assaulting three remand prisoners, all BJP activists.

The prisoners, Ajaya Kumar, Sivaprasad and Nazar, have been admitted to the Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram (MCH) with minor injuries.

The police arrested them on November 16 on the charges of rioting and violating the Arms Act. They were remanded in judicial custody and sent to the Attakulangara Sub Jail the same day.

The prisoners, along with 50 other inmates, were shifted from the Sub Jail to the Central Jail on November 18. BJP media cell convenor V. Pongumoodu Vikraman said two jail wardens, owing allegiance to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), had assaulted them to wreak political vengeance. He said the BJP activists had sustained serious injuries in the custodial violence.

A senior prison official, who did not want to be named, said the remand prisoners had prevented jail wardens from frisking them. He said the activists argued with the wardens and later assaulted them. The wardens subdued the prisoners. He said prisoners had sustained minor bruises in the scuffle and they were taken to the MCH for treatment. Quoting prison rules, the official said even remand prisoners brought from other Sub Jails have to be frisked for drugs, arms, tobacco, alcohol, eatables, incendiary devices (including matchboxes) and poisonous substances before being admitted to the Central Jail.

The prison authorities had discovered a mobile telephone in the special block housing COFEPOSA prisoners on Monday morning.

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