Corruption in prisons should be investigated

Allegations that prove that those with money and influence can spend their prison time in opulence are emerging. It has become a matter that the Home Department should take very seriously and investigate and take action. A person is sentenced to prison only when the alleged crimes are proven. If that sentence turns into a period of comfort, the very meaning of the concept of punishment will be lost. To get some minor freedoms in prison that other prisoners do not get, a convict has no other way than to please the officials. Reports coming out underline that lakhs of rupees are being spent as bribes for this. There is now a suspicion that our prisons are in a situation where one has to pay the same amount of money to get a legal parole as to get a parole that violates the law.

The incident of the suspension of DIG Vinod Kumar in a corruption case can only be considered as the tip of the iceberg of corruption in prisons. It is to be assumed that not just any one officer, but a large group of officers, barring a few, have become the watchdogs of bribery and corruption. Vinod Kumar was found guilty of taking bribes worth lakhs from prisoners. Even though high-ranking officials in his own department had filed complaints against him, no one took any significant action due to his hold in the ruling party.

The Vigilance had found that Vinod Kumar had embezzled more than two lakh rupees by making false statements on the pretext of cultivating medicinal plants in the prison in 2020, when he was the Superintendent of Viyyur Central Jail. Despite the Vigilance's recommendation to recover this money with interest, the action was limited to blocking Vinod Kumar's salary increment for six months. After that, this corrupt officer was promoted to the rank of DIG and given more responsibilities. The report that he received up to Rs 75 lakh a month for doing illegal things while holding this position is shocking. The investigation report also pointed out that the dishonest money even went to his wife's account via Google Pay. It is certain that he cannot proceed alone by taking this corrupt money. Many had raised the suspicion that some of the higher officials must have been involved in this. However, now, Ajayakumar, the former DIG of the prison, has made a serious allegation that the IPS officer holding the post of prison superintendent has also been involved in Vinod Kumar's corruption.

Ajayakumar also alleges that Jail Superintendent Balramkumar Upadhyay behaved vengefully towards him for filing a complaint against Vinodkumar. The jail superintendent's explanation is that the allegations are baseless and that Ajaykumar is a person who was previously suspended for providing VIP facilities to a gold merchant in Kakkanad Jail. In any case, it is imperative that the Home Department conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and bring out the truth.