The Hindu : National : Priyanka’s visit was kept hush-hush

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Priyanka’s visit was kept hush-hush

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI: But for a top official in the State intelligence, no one, including the Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), was aware of the visit of Priyanka Vadra, daughter of Rajiv Gandhi, to meet convict Nalini Sriharan, at the Special Prison for Women at Vellore on March 19.

Even as the VVIP is covered by the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) and there is an established security protocol such as pilot, escort and route bandobast for her convoy, local officials such as the Vellore Collector and Superintendent of Police were also not informed. There was no State representative among the entourage and it is not clear whether anti-sabotage checks were conducted.

According to sources in the intelligence agencies, after Ms. Priyanka boarded a bullet-proof car parked on the tarmac of the Chennai airport, she drove to Sriperumbudur to pay respects at her father’s memorial. Public entry to the memorial was briefly stopped. Sleuths of the Intelligence Bureau took charge of her security locally. At the Special Prison for Women, SPG official Pankaj Kumar gave a written request to enable a meeting with life convict ‘810’ Nalini Sriharan.

Jail Superintendent P. Raja Soundari permitted the meeting in her official chamber exercising discretionary powers vested on her under Rules 520, 522 and 526 of the Tamil Nadu Jail Manual. Rule 526 deals with “Interviews and Communications with Prisoners” and under this clause, the Jail Superintendent has powers to permit interview with prisoners even if a request was made “orally.”

Also, under special reasons, the Superintendent could permit an interview to take place in any part of the prison.

While external security was taken care of by the SPG and Intelligence Bureau officials, only two cars drove up to the administrative block. Ms. Vadra took the stairs to reach the first floor and meet Nalini. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes.

“A lady doctor in the prison and some jail warders saw Ms. Vadra and mistook her to be a human rights activist who had come to meet an inmate. Mr. Pankaj Kumar signed the visitor’s register where entry/exit timings were recorded. Such registers are maintained confidentially,” a prison official said.

There was no security risk involved, a senior police official said. “Adequately armed SPG personnel were accompanying the VVIP. When she entered the prison, vehicles and manpower were positioned strategically. Few were aware of the visit.”

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