Mandya, 28 August

A petition purportedly signed by around 80 inmates of Mandya Jail has surfaced, with an alleged list of rates collected for various facilities inside the prison.

The Karnataka Director General of Police (Prisons) Alok Kumar said the contents of the letter were being verified.

The petition, copies of which were reportedly sent to the media with the inmates' signatures, thumb impressions and under-trial prisoner (UTP) numbers, contains a purported "rate list" for different facilities, including monthly payments allegedly linked to specific cells.

Terming the 'petition' an unauthorised slip, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said that all aspects --including who released it, how they managed to take a phone, and whether it was shared from outside-- should be looked into.

According to the petition, the alleged amounts are Rs 10,000 per month for Cell-1, Rs 15,000 each for Cells-3 and 4, Rs 5,000 for Cell-5 and Rs 8,000 for Cell-6.

It also mentions Rs 2,000 for changing rooms and Rs 10,000 for coming out of the punishment cell.

The petition further alleges that food items could be arranged for inmates on payment, quoting Rs 1,250 per kg for mutton and Rs 700 per kg for chicken.

It also contains an allegation that those who did not pay were threatened, saying that they would be "sent to the gallows".

Reacting to the purported letter by inmates, Alok Kumar told PTI that he had personally visited Mandya and interacted with the inmates.

"I personally visited Mandya on Tuesday and have spoken to every prisoner. No one has brought any complaint before me. However, we are once again verifying the contents of the purported petition that surfaced now. They have taken signatures on a separate sheet saying that they are writing a petition for canteen facilities," Kumar said.

The DGP (Prisons) inspected Mandya Jail recently following allegations that an undertrial government officer, who was admitted to a special ward at MIMS Hospital here for treatment, was found with a woman during a surprise inspection by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA).

The KSLSA team inspected MIMS Hospital on August 22, they said.

According to official sources, during the inspection, it was found that the Assistant Director of Land Records (ADLR) survey supervisor Mahamad Hussain, an undertrial in a corruption case, had been admitted to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) hospital here, where he had been undergoing treatment since August 21.

They said there was no court permission and also no serious health condition warranting such treatment.

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said it was some kind of unauthorised slip that has been put up, and hence it cannot be taken as completely serious.

"We have to find out how it came out, whose it is and what it is. Now, somebody has written something on a slip. Who wrote it? Is it official or unofficial? Or did somebody else, perhaps someone from our side, release it? How did its photograph emerge? How was the photograph released? Did someone have access to a mobile phone? We have to look into all that," Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru.

The minister said that in the last month, the department conducted surprise raids in three prisons and the same will be done in Mandya jail as well.

"We will keep doing this as surprise checks everywhere else because the government needs to know who is doing what," Kharge said.

He added that there will also be a meeting regarding prison reforms on Friday.

"We constituted a committee headed by ADGP (Law and Order) R Hithendra. We will also discuss its recommendations today," the minister said.