Police see red, beef up security- Presence of 16 rebels on jail premises worries personnel

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Jamshedpur, Oct. 14: With a number of recently-arrested rebels cooling heels behind bars, the district administration has decided to beef-up security arrangements at Sakchi subdivisional jail — just in case. The threat is felt so strongly that security arrangements at Ghatshila subdivisional jail, where over 12-odd Naxalite cadres and two top members are presently lodged, would also be tightened. The administration seems more than keen to prevent any "untoward incidents", either inside or outside the jail premises. Needless to add, the high-profile prisoners have left quite an impression on the police personnel within the premises. While talking to The Telegraph, East Singhbhum superintendent of police Naveen Kumar Singh conceded that the police have been asked to remain "vigilant and conduct regular monitoring". "We do conduct random checks inside jails to see if any of the inmates have sneaked in a cell-phone or any gadget that makes communication possible. But we do realise that now we have to be extra vigilant as the inmates are 'high-profile'," he added. The police on October 10 had nabbed nine Naxalites from Patamda and Dalma areas. Among those arrested, six are confirmed senior members of outlawed CPI(Maoist), while two are dreaded Naxalite leaders — Saradji alias Mansaji and Isha alias Jayanti Majumdar. The latter belongs to Nari Mukti Sangathan of Bengal. Also eight more rebels, again including a woman, are lodged already in the Sakchi jail. The arrival of eight more ultras have taken the total to 16. Unlike other undertrial inmates facing criminal cases, the red top brass and cadres in Sakchi jail generally do not enjoy the privilege of entertaining visitors. However, visitors are expected to drop by occasionally as the two of the latest inmates — Mansaji and Isha — are extremely high-profile. The situation is worse in the Ghatsila jail where the number of Naxalite inmates has crossed the 40-mark. This jail is next on the police list to bring under an extra security cover.