No security even inside prisons, CM's warning unheeded: Edappadi K Palaniswami

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday criticised the TVK-led government over the escape of undertrial prisoner Raghavan from Coimbatore Central Prison, alleging that repeated escapes exposed serious security lapses and the government's failure to maintain law and order.

In a statement, Palaniswami said prisoner escapes had become a recurring incident under the present government, citing similar incidents reported earlier from Theni, Puzhal and Salem. Despite repeated assurances from the prison department that it would strengthen security and deploy armed personnel in watchtowers, he alleged that such incidents continued to occur.

He pointed out that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had issued a statement just hours before the Coimbatore incident, directing prison officials to remain vigilant and warning of strict action against those who failed to discharge their duties properly.

Taking a dig at the government, Palaniswami compared its functioning to a comedy dialogue from actor Vijay's film Pokkiri: "Only the mouth is working; everything else remains unchanged."

Questioning how undertrial prisoners could escape so easily from prisons, he warned that such incidents could lead to further criminal activities. He also questioned how the government could assure public safety when it could not ensure security within prisons.

Palaniswami asked when Chief Minister Vijay would discharge his office responsibilities instead of merely issuing statements advising officials to remain vigilant and perform their duties without negligence.