Action against Tihar officials for indiscipline

Tihar Jail's staff and officials must not breach discipline during their interactions with inmates. The staff and officials should spurn illegal favour/s and maintain acceptable personal standards. Abhishek Sharan reports.

Tihar Jail's staff and officials must not breach discipline during their interactions with inmates. The staff and officials should spurn illegal favour/s and maintain acceptable personal standards.

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These are elements of the 'Zero Tolerance to Indiscipline' policy, as described by jail officials, undertaken by Tihar Jail's director general Neeraj Kumar around seven months ago.

Kumar has so far taken stringent disciplinary actions against six senior jail officials - of deputy/assistant jail superintendent ranks - who were allegedly found responsible for acts of indiscipline - ranging from misbehaving with inmate/s to hosting undesirable elements at official residence.

An official was recently suspended over allegations that he invited sex-workers at his official residence, while a few others were found guilty of allegedly thrashing/verbally abusing inmates.

The authorities had also transferred another deputy superintendent in March over a complaint that the official had sought an illegal favour from an inmate who is an accused in the 2G-spectrum scam. "We will not tolerate any wrong, undisciplined behaviour here. I have suspended a deputy jail superintendent and four assistant jail superintendents for indiscipline till now," Kumar told HT.

"As ordered by he director general, we have issued detailed instructions to the superintendents of jails that we expect disciplined behaviour from officials and staff when they interact with inmates - at the time of their arrival or release from the jail," said the jail's spokesperson Sunil Gupta.

Another initiative, begun by the authorities, has caught the imagination of the inmates while alerting jail officials from indulging in any potential act of indiscipline.

"An inmate can submit his complaint in a mobile complaint box, available at all the wards, whose contents are addressed to the director general and only he can access these complaints to avoid any retaliation against the complainant," said another jail source.

A designated petition officer is then tasked to probe the allegation/s and suggest remedial measures.