Mysuru: Jails are meant for reforming the prisoners. However, everyone knows that there is dark underbelly consisting of under- trials and convicts in the jails. Added to this, are the Police who also become vulnerable to the system, as there are powerful prisoners housed in the Central Jails all over the country.

DIG Roopa D. Moudgil’s two reports to the top brass of the Police Department about the alleged preferential treatment given to prisoners V. Sasikala, AIADMK chief and close confidante of the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa, and fake stamp paper racket mastermind Karim Lala Telgi, at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, has set the cat among the pigeons. The State Government has ordered a high-level probe by former IAS officer Vinay Kumar, following the reports.

Roopa has accused her own boss DGP (Prisons) H.N. Satyanarayana Rao of various irregularities. The high-level team is likely to begin investigating into the irregularities  from today.

Meanwhile, the DGP, it is learnt has submitted a 16-page report to the Home Department, highlighting about the developments since Roopa took charge as DIG (Prisons) from June 23.

Unrest in Prison: There is unrest in the Prison and this has forced the Prisons Department to shift 18 convicts (sources also say 32 convicts) from Parappana Agrahara to Ballari, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura and Kalaburagi jails.

Two groups — one pro-Roopa and another anti-Roopa — raised slogans for and against her when she visited the  Prison. This resulted in a clash between the two groups and with the interventions of jail staff, both the groups were sent back to the barracks. Alarmed by this development, they have been shifted because the prisoners tried to level corruption charges against senior jail authorities with even the Chief Jail Superintendent being named.

CM miffed

Chief Minister Siddharamaiah is said to be completely upset with the developments in the Parappana Agrahara Prison  and is learnt to have taken  Advisor to Home Minister Kempaiah and DGP (Intelligence) M.N. Reddi to task for the way they have handled the situation.

With the elections to the Assembly fast approaching,  Siddharamaiah, who also holds the Home portfolio, is worried that the Opposition would  use this as a weapon during the election campaign, it is   said. He is upset that despite strict warning, Roopa’s reports have been leaked to  the media.

The CM who returned to Bengaluru from Mysuru, yesterday, immediately summoned Kempaiah and Reddi to his official residence and expressed his displeasure at the way the prison issue has been handled. He also wanted to know what steps they were taking to contain the damage to the government.