Bihar govt initiates disciplinary action against 14 prison officials

The Bihar Home Department has initiated disciplinary action against 14 prison officials after several prohibited items including SIM cards were seized from the high security Beur Central Jail during a raid, an official said.The state administration suspended three jail warders - Surendra Kumar, Virendra Kumar and Vikas Chandra Singh - for laxity while a special armed police jawan Gauri Shankar had been dismissed from service.

The Bihar Home Department has initiated disciplinary action against 14 prison officials after several prohibited items including SIM cards were seized from the high security Beur Central Jail during a raid, an official said.

The state administration suspended three jail warders - Surendra Kumar, Virendra Kumar and Vikas Chandra Singh - for laxity while a special armed police jawan Gauri Shankar had been dismissed from service. Besides, the department also decided to transfer 125 inmates from one prison to another in the state. According to a statement issued by the state administration, 12 inmates of Beur Central Prison are being shifted to another prison in the state. Thirty-two inmates of Gaya central prison are being shifted from there, 25 prisoners of Buxar central prison are also being transferred to another jail in the state, it said. Besides, six prisoners from Bhagalpur central jail, 15 from Ara jail, six from Saran and five from Hajipur prisons are also being transferred to other prisons in the state.

Talking to reporters about Wednesday's raid, a senior official of the state administration said flagrant violation of norms was noticed inside the cell of controversial Mokamah MLA Anant Singh (of RJD), who is facing trial in a case lodged under the stringent UAPA following recovery of AK 47 rifle, rocket launcher, hand grenades and ammunition from his residence a few years ago. “Nine sevadaars (attendants) were found inside the cell though no prisoner is allowed to have more than two. Besides, a mobile phone, SIM card, battery and a piece of paper on which a phone number was scribbled, were also seized by the raiding team, led by Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh and SSP Manavjeet Singh Dhillon”, said the official. PTI PKD RG RG