GUWAHATI, June 22 � In gross violation of manuals, the property of certain jails has been turned into cowsheds by a section of jail officials for their personal profit-making ventures.
More shocking is the fact that it is the undertrial prisoners (UTPs) and convicts who are force-engaged in these personal profit-making dairy farming activities by the select officials of the jails in question.
This is a story about the Nagaon Central Jail and the Special Jail, Nagaon.
Insiders told The Assam Tribune that parts of old official quarters of the jail premises are now being used as full-fledged cowsheds and the prisoners are engaged not only to milk the cows, but also to distribute the same to the customers.
It is often alleged that inmates of the jails, from time to time, are engaged in personal domestic work of influential government servants, which amounts to gross violation of the jail manual.
Having come across the information, the department, according to sources at Dispur, is now mulling stringent action against those resorting to such malpractices.
It is also alleged that the milk produced in the dairy is sold to a number of people including residents of official quarters of the jail complex.
The office of the IG (Prisons) has assured of action over the malpractices on the jail premises.
A top official of the Prisons Department told this reporter that such activities would never be tolerated and strict action would be initiated against those found guilty.
�Engaging prisoners in private works will amount to gross violation of all laid-down norms. There have been instances where even murder convicts had fled the jail while they were engaged in works not meant for them,� the official told this reporter.
�I have cross-checked the allegation and found that there is enough ground for an inquiry into it,� he added.
