Karnataka: Fresh allegations of corruption and irregularities have surfaced at Mandya District Prison, with inmates reportedly sending a rate card alleging
that money is being collected in exchange for various facilities inside the jail. According to the complaints allegedly submitted by around 80 undertrial prisoners, inmates are charged different monthly amounts depending on their cells. The complaint claims that Rs 10,000 is collected every month from Cell No. 1, Rs 15,000 each from Cells No. 3 and 4, Rs 5,000 from Cell No. 5 and 8,000 from Cell No. 6. The inmates have also alleged that Rs 2,000 is collected for changing rooms, while Rs 10,000 is allegedly demanded to get out of the punishment cell. The complaints were reportedly sent along with the prisoners’ undertrial prisoner numbers, signatures and thumb impressions, with inmates making serious allegations against Jail Superintendent Shanthamma and other staff members. The inmates have further alleged that the alleged collection extends to food arrangements inside the prison. According to the complaint, prisoners can allegedly order meat by paying Rs 1,250/kg for mutton and RS 700/kg for chicken, with jail staff allegedly arranging for the food to be cooked according to inmates’ requests after collecting money. Jail staff members Anil, Shivraj and Ravi have also been named in the allegations. The complaint further alleges that prisoners who refuse to pay are threatened with punitive action. The allegations come days after DGP- Prisons Alok Kumar visited Mandya Jail and conducted an inspection. However, the DGP stated that he did not come across any such issue when he inspected the barracks and suspected that there could be an alternative motive behind this. There have been several cases of VIP treatment in Karnataka prisons, most prominently Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison in connection with sexual assault cases, who was found with a mobile phone inside his barrack during a raid. The raid was carried out by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), which found an Android mobile phone from the barrack of Revanna, leading to a fresh inquiry into security lapses inside the high-security prison.
