Days after this newspaper exposed the comfortable life that select inmates were leading inside Puzhal Central Prison, eight jail officials, including two chief head warders, were transferred on Monday. Taking a stern view of the matter that brought in considerable criticism for the Police Department, the top brass has termed the integrity of the staff who were shunted out as “doubtful”.
Chennai:
Two chief warders and six warders were transferred out of Puzhal jail by the Prison department on ‘administrative grounds’, which came after this newspaper reported, with photographs, about the rampant use of contrabands and facilities, including mobile phones, that they were not entitled to use inside the prison.
The transfer came following an order from Prison chief ADGP Ashutosh Shukla. The department transferred T Ganesan and G Vijayaraj, chief head warders of Central Prison I, to the sub-jails at Chengam and Udhagamandalam respectively.
The order came with a note to the superintendents of the jails concerned, asking them not to give sensitive assignments to these officers as their ‘integrity was doubtful’.
Six warders who were booted out were A Pavadairayar, J Jebstin Selvakumar, N Singaravelan, N Subramani, D Selvakumar and P Pratapsingh. All were transferred out to various other jails, with a similar note of caution asking the superiors not to give them any sensitive assignment because of their ‘doubtful integrity’.
It may be recalled that this newspaper had carried a story with photographs on lavish life style of some of the inmates of Puzhal prison on Thursday. Following that, ADGP Ashutosh Shukla had conducted inspection at the prison, and took punitive action against the inmates, including curbing the facilities provided to them.