Yogi govt to tighten noose around dreaded gangsters lodged in UP jails

An official said superintendents of all jails of the state had been instructed by the government to provide the list of top ten criminals lodged in jails to the headquarters.

The Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to tighten the noose around dreaded criminals and their henchmen lodged in different jails across the state. A press note issued by the state government stated the state authorities were making arrangements for keeping round-the-clock vigil on dreaded criminals and Mafiosi lodged in jails from the headquarters itself.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (File)

It further said the government had taken serious note of the recent case of Mau MLA Abbas Ansari, son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who was lodged in Chitrakoot district jail in connection with the money laundering case.

On February 11, the arrest of Abbas Ansari’s wife Nikhat Ansari and her driver from inside the premises of Chitrakoot jail has exposed the criminals’ nexus with local jail authorities that allowed their family members and henchmen easy access to jail. It also allowed them to operate their networks from behind the bars.

Abbas’s wife was arrested from inside the jail along with two mobile phones and eatables. Moreover, her entry into the jail was not mentioned in the records. The press note further said the state government has sought the list of top 10 criminals lodged in all jails across the state from the authorities concerned in this regard.

The installation and upgrading of CCTV cameras is currently under way on the premises of 30 jails of Uttar Pradesh to ensure round-the-clock monitoring of such criminals.

The government is working vigorously on skill development of prisoners to make them financially self-reliant. It is also taking stern action against jail superintendents who allow incidents like that of Chitrakoot jail to happen, foiling government’s efforts to curb prison crimes.

The press note reads that there is a clear instruction from the chief minister that jail officers and employees, who face any kind of pressure or receive threats, must inform the headquarters about it immediately so that strictest action could be taken against the culprits.

According to a government official, because of such incidents, the positive and good work being done in jails gets undermined. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had praised cleanliness, quality of food and the way in which various festivals were organised with enthusiasm in the prisons of U.P.

According to principal secretary, prisons, Rajesh Pratap Singh, superintendents of all jails of U.P. have been instructed by the government to provide the list of top ten criminals lodged in jails to the headquarters.

“Along with this, a list of various products being made in the jails should also be sent to the headquarters. Appropriate action should be taken immediately to further strengthen monitoring with CCTV cameras from the headquarters. There is a need to better monitor the top 10 criminals lodged in jails,” he said.