District administration officials and police officers conducted a search in Beur Central Jail on Tuesday in the wake of a state-wide alert sounded by the home department following the escape of eight SIMI activists from Bhopal Central Jail in Madhya Pradesh.
The officials, led by Patna City superintendent of police (SP) (west), seized mobile chargers, SIM cards, memory cards, chips, pen drives and scissors during the search of prisoners' wards. Officers from over a dozen police stations were engaged in the operation.
The recovery of memory cards and pen drives from the prisoners' wards sent the jail officials into a tizzy.
The search was carried out a day after inspector-general of police (prisons) Anand Kishor directed all district magistrates and superintendents of police to assess security arrangements in the jails falling under their jurisdiction in the wake of the Bhopal jailbreak.
Kishor had said strong disciplinary action would be initiated against the officials if lapses were detected. "I have asked the district magistrates (DMs) and the SPs to remove the lapses. At the same time, instructions have been given to conduct security audit and overall review of jail security," he had said.
Ten accused in the Patna and Bodhgaya serial bomb blast case are lodged in the high-security prison in Beur. The suspected terrorists, having their links with SIMI and Indian Mujahideen, have been kept in the high-security cell.
The jail superintendent, Rupak Kumar, said the security around the cell in which the 10 terrorists have been kept was beefed up and round-the-clock vigil was being maintained. "They are not allowed to mingle with other prisoners," he said. Later, Patna DM Sanjay Agarwal visited the jail and assessed the security arrangements. "The district administration will provide all support to the jail authorities as far security of the jail is concerned," he told reporters after the security review.
Agarwal earlier directed Patna police officers to keep a close watch on the movement of passers-by in the Beur area.
