CM Shivraj Chouhan reviews security arrangements at Bhopal central jail

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the Bhopal Central Jail on Wednesday and instructed officials to conduct a comprehensive review of the security arrangements after eight criminals broke out of jail on Monday.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the Bhopal Central Jail on Wednesday and instructed officials to conduct a comprehensive review of the security arrangements after eight criminals broke out of jail on Monday.

Police personnel outside the Bhopal Central Jail after eight SIMI undertrials escaped on Monday. (PTI Photo)

In his first visit to the premises since the episode, Chouhan also told officials to keep an all-round watch on cells.

Read | Eight suspected SIMI men killed after escaping from Bhopal jail

The chief minister was on his way to Anuppur to meet Shahdoll bypoll candidate Gyan Singh when he stopped by to review the prison security. Gyan Singh filed his nomination papers on Wednesday.

The CM was accompanied by chief secretary BP Singh, director general of police Rishi Kumar Shukla and director general of police Sanjay Chaudhary.

Commenting on the jailbreak, Chouhan had earlier called for terror-related cases to be fast-tracked so that judgement on such criminals is given out sooner, and they don’t spend years in jail eating “chicken biryani” while awaiting trial.

Read | NIA will probe SIMI jailbreak in Bhopal, officials suspended for negligence: CM

“When enemies of the mankind, who don’t care about human rights, are caught, they remain in jail for years. It takes years to award punishment to them and they continue to eat chicken and biryani... When fast-track court can be set up for trying corruption cases why not for terror cases. The country will have to think about it,” Chouhan said during the state’s foundation day programme on Tuesday night.

Eight under trial terror suspects of the banned Students Islamic Federation of India (SIMI) killed a prison guard and broke out of Bhopal Central Jail on Monday. However, within hours, police launched a manhunt and eventually killed them in an alleged encounter.