Tamil Nadu: Vellore prisoners segregated by caste

CHENNAI: Inmates of Vellore central prison for men are segregated and lodged based on caste. The public accounts committee (PAC)of the state legislative assembly found this during an inspection of the premises on Tuesday. The prison authorities have denied the charge.
“We found that the prisoners were segregated on caste lines. Some are lodged in isolation cells and high-risk prisoners’ blocks,” said committee chairman Selva Perunthagai. A report will be submitted in the assembly. There is a “prison within the prison” in Vellore, the chairman said.
The report said there are serious violations of human rights and there is a need for reformation. Tuesday's inspection followed complaints received from relatives of some inmates during the committee’s visit to Ranipet on Monday.
In a CAG report, Selva Perunthagai said the food provided to the inmates was of substandard quality.
“The prison should be a place to help the inmates overcome their past and reform. This is not happening,” he said. Sources in the Vellore prison said five prisoners from Palayamkottai and a notorious criminal from Chennai, all of the same caste, have been lodged in the high-risk prisoners’ block-I as per rules.
“They are all notorious criminals and have been kept in high-risk blocks. The committee (PAC) members have misunderstood this,” said a prison official.
Caste-based segregation is followed in central prisons in caste-sensitive regions, particularly in districts like Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli. “We are extra cautious as there are undercurrents in prisons that can slowball into a caste clash anytime,” said the official. Director general of prisons Sunil Kumar Singh told TOI that caste is not a factor for segregation of prisoners.
"The inmates are segregated based on their criminal history, notoriety, rivalry and safety concerns,” he said recalling a brutal attack on a prisoner in Palayamkottai prison in April last year.