COURTESY HT OCT 29
Disciplinary action recommended against prisons dept officials, cops
High-level committee asks for removal of female cooks and helpers at all juvenile homes
The undertrials, eight of whom were facing murder charges, had escaped from the observation home after attacking guards. HT FILE
Hitender Rao
hrao@hindustantimes.com
Chandigarh : A high-level committee constituted by Haryana chief secretary along with the findings of a probe conducted by Hisar administration has recommended disciplinary action against prisons and police department officials for their alleged omissions leading to the escape of 17 juvenile undertrials from an observation home in Hisar on October 13.
The undertrials, eight of whom facing murder charges, had escaped from the observation home after attacking the guards. Till Wednesday, nine of them were arrested, officials said.
The chief secretary had constituted a committee headed by additional chief secretary, home and additional chief secretary, women and child development, director general of prisons and director general of police to look into the matter and give its recommendations regarding the state of affairs in all observation and special homes to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
As per the probe findings communicated by the women and child development department for action by the prisons and police departments, the warders at the Hisar observation home failed to inspect barracks properly and detect the act of juvenile inmates. The warders also failed to lock the inside gates when the juvenile inmates were roaming in open space in the corridor. “ In view of these omissions, the entire staff – superintendent, head warder and warders be replaced by a new staff. Also, disciplinary action should be initiated against those responsible,’’ the findings read.
It said the police personnel deputed at the observation home failed to lock the door from outside. “Out of four police personnel deputed, three—ASI Jagraj, constables, Vinod and Raghuvinder Singh were found absent from duty. Only constable Bijender Singh was present. In view of this omission, the ASI and constables be replaced by new staff and disciplinary action be initiated against those responsible,’’ the findings said.
Hisar deputy commissioner has also been asked to organise regular mock drills at the juvenile observation home and prepare standard operating procedure listing out the role of each employee to deal with a crisis like the one that happened on October 13.
The state government has also asked the deputy commissioners of Ambala, Karnal, Sonepat and Faridabad, where observation and special homes for boys are situated, to immediately replace women cooks and helpers, installation of extra screens for viewing close circuit television camera footage in the guard’s room, mock drills and standard operating procedure listing out the role of each employee to deal with crisis and timely submission of security audit report by a district-level committee comprising the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), the deputy superintendent of police and the jail superintendent