DSP denies torture at Theni prison; reports point to potential en masse jailbreak

MADURAI: Andipatti Deputy Superintendent of Police J Vishupriya has denied allegations of torture and poor conditions at the Theni District Prison in Thekkampatti, claiming that inmates questioned after the jailbreak had denied any mistreatment by prison staff.

The clarification came after one of the escaped inmates made such allegations amid reported confessions from the remaining 75 inmates in the block that they had the chance to escape from the jail housing 334, but shied away fearing repercussions.

Vishupriya, part of the police team that visited the facility, said the then DGP interacted with the inmates. She also said the then Prisons DGP, Sandeep Rai Rathore, inspected the prison on October 27 and spoke with the inmates. According to her, only 17 of the 92 inmates lodged in Block 3 had escaped.

However, sources said a police team found the prison's main gate wide open much later after the jailbreak. The inmates reportedly told the team that they had not attempted to escape as they knew they would eventually be caught.

The fact that the remaining 75 inmates of block 3 had the chance to escape raises serious questions about security arrangements at the prison. If the remaining inmates also had fled, a larger-scale escape could have embarrassed the State government even more.

The DSP's clarification comes amid a video circulating on social media in which inmate Meenakshi Sundaram alleged that 21 prisoners had planned and participated in the escape because of torture and poor conditions. He also demanded that the CCTV footage be examined.

Vishupriya disputed his account, maintaining that only 17 inmates escaped and that the police subsequently secured all of them. She said a Judicial Magistrate had visited the prison a day before the incident and enquired about the facilities. She claimed the food provided to inmates was good and that officials conducted periodic inspections.

She further alleged that Meenakshi Sundaram released the video after misunderstanding the DGP's October 27 order, which he believed authorised police to shoot him. The order, she clarified, only instructed armed personnel manning the watchtowers to fire at the legs of prisoners attempting to escape.

According to the DSP, the jailbreak was planned by Linga Prasath, a differently abled inmate facing more than 12 cases, including a murder charge.

The 17 prisoners escaped on the night of October 26 after allegedly assaulting prison personnel. Police said the inmates staged a medical emergency, pretending that one of them was suffering an epileptic seizure, to lure prison staff into their cell before making their escap