By The News Observer Desk,
Karwar: Strictest action will be taken against the inmates of the Karwar district jail who are causing unrest in the prison over the issue of non availability of narcotics, said Deepan M. N. Superintendent of Police Uttara Kannada on Wednesday.
Speaking to media here SP said that strongly condemned the incident and warned that strict legal action will be initiated against all the culprits involved. He further stated that a detailed report is being submitted to higher authorities seeking immediate transfer of these Mangaluru-origin inmates to another prison.
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It can be recalled that the tension erupted once again at the Uttara Kannada District Jail on Tuesday when six accused persons hailing from Mangaluru indulged in large-scale vandalism and rioting inside the prison premises. On Tuesday , the inmates damaged several items including television sets and furniture, triggering panic among jail staff and creating a tense atmosphere for some time.
This incident comes close on the heels of a deadly assault on jail staff just days ago, carried out in protest against the strict measures recently imposed to curb the smuggling and use of contraband substances inside the jail. In the earlier attack, Jailer Kallappa Gasti and two other staff members were seriously injured. The main accused in that case were Mangaluru natives Mohammed Abdul Fayaz and Kaushik Nihal.
These rowdy elements, facing over a dozen cases including dacoity, had been shifted from Mangaluru Central Prison to Karwar Jail owing to overcrowding in Mangaluru. However, even before the intensity of the previous assault case subsided, four more associates of the same group created fresh chaos on Tuesday.
Karwar Town police rushed to the spot immediately, and DySP (Karwar Division) Girish personally camped inside the jail premises and brought the situation under control.
No prisoner or staff member was injured in Tuesday’s disturbance.
The series of incidents has raised serious concerns about security in the district jail. After remaining peaceful and incident-free for over a decade, the Karwar District Central Prison has witnessed a sudden breakdown in discipline and safety ever since a batch of inmates was transferred from Mangaluru jail about two months ago. Officials attribute the repeated unrest directly to these transferred prisoners, who continue to demand contraband substances and resort to violence when their demands are denied.
In the past four to five months, the jail administration has enforced stringent security protocols, including thorough checking of visitors and zero tolerance toward any illegal activity. Sources indicate that the current agitations are a direct reaction to the unavailability of narcotics due to these tightened measures.
Karwar police have prepared a detailed letter to senior prison authorities requesting the immediate shifting of these particular inmates to another facility. Authorities have indicated that tougher measures are likely in the coming days to restore order and ensure the safety of both staff and other inmates.
Reporting and Videography by Saikiran Babrekar
