TN DIG booked for forcing prisoner to do chores at home

CHENNAI: Fourteen officials of Tamil Nadu's Vellore prison, including DIG R. Rajalakshmi, have been booked for allegedly forcing prisoners into chores at their homes. This follows a judicial magistrate's report to Madras high court on the exploitation.

CB-CID booked Rajalakshmi, her personal security officer Raju, additional superintendent of prisons A Abdul Rahman, jailer Arul Kumaran and ten constables under Sections 49 (abetment), 115(2) (causing hurt voluntarily), 118(2) (causing grievous hurt), 127(8) (wrongful confinement), and 146 (unlawful compulsory labour) of BNS.

The FIR was registered on the orders of the HC bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam on Thursday after G Radhakrishnan, Vellore chief judicial magistrate (CJM), submitted his report.

The report concluded that charges levelled by S Sivakumar, a murder convict serving a life term, required an inquiry. Sivakumar's mother had also moved court.

Apart from making him do household chores, the prison authorities allegedly beat up and tortured Sivakumar after accusing him of stealing Rs 4.5 lakh in cash and other valuables from the DIG's house.

Sivakumar was also allegedly kept in solitary confinement for more than three months. He has been shifted to Salem Central Prison on the HC's orders, police sources said.

The HC reprimanded the jail officials and directed Tamil Nadu's DG (Prisons) to initiate disciplinary action.

"It is not only a case of violation of the prison manual, but a case of harassment/torture of the convict prisoner. They (jail officials) have not only violated service conditions, but indulged in offences," the HC observed.