7 prisoners booked for possessing mobiles, gadgets; restrict visitation, parole to offenders
Ferozepur, September 25, 2024: During the recent routine surprise checking, 6 mobile phones with keypads, one touch screen mobile phone, 4 data cables, and one adopter were seized from the seven prisoners already in the jail. The prisoners identified are Soma, Raj Singh, Arshpreet, Baljinder Singh, Vijay Kumar, Risu and Gurmeet Singh.
The recovery of mobiles and banned items from inside the jail premises is common and during every checking, there is recovery of prohibited items, especially the mobiles. No doubt the Constitution of India provides equality for every person before the law or equal protection of laws within the territory of India. A prisoner is also guaranteed certain rights and every prisoner should be treated as a person. But the purpose of keeping the prisoners behind bars away from the outer world as punishment, by enjoying the use of mobile phones, is lost.
The recovery of mobile phones and other high-tech devices from inside the jail has once again put focus back on lax security arrangements in Ferozepur jail. The seizure of touch screen mobiles with all applications which gave easy access to stay in touch with their associates and pass directions while in jail cannot be ruled out.
Recently, there had been a breach of security as 37 SIM Cards, Drugs Seized from a Parolee and in another incident 9 mobiles, 19 sachets ‘zarda’, and 3 cigarette packs were recovered despite tight security. During the current year, more than 360 mobiles and other banned items have been recovered.
There is a need to adopt strict measures to curb the menace of entry of mobiles in the jail by tightening the security at the entry points and restricting the visitation and parole facility to those prisoners from which the mobile and other banned items are recovered, said a jail retiree.
All these prisoners already in the jail have been booked under Sections 42/52-A of the Prisons Act and further investigations are on with Sarwan Singh, IO.