We express deep concern about the security lapses inside the Bogura District Jail. Four death row convicts escaped the Bogura District Jail by breaking through the roof of their condemned cells recently. However, they were rearrested within one hour.
Around 3:56 am on Wednesday, the four capital punishment awardees made a hole on the roof of the condemned cell of the jail and escaped climbing over the wall with the help of their bed sheets.
The escape of four death row convicts raises questions about the prison’s security lapses. Many CCTV cameras in the prison were not operational, and the prison, which has a capacity of 700 inmates, was holding over 2,200.
The four inmates were crammed into one cell, making it difficult for prison guards to monitor them effectively, according to media reports. The prisons across the country must be brought under a security network with the installation of modern equipment including closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, mobile phone jammers and archway metal detectors.
The escape of four death
row convicts raises
questions about the
prison’s security lapses
The authorities should install modern technologies at all jails immediately. They must bring all the prisons under modern technologies for foolproof security in a bid to ensure safe custody of the prisoners.
As there is an allegation that some prisoners are carrying out criminal activities through mobile phones, the jail authorities should also take a decision to install mobile phone jammers and other modern technologies in the country’s 67 prisons to ensure foolproof security and put an end to the allegation.
It is always difficult to actively ensure foolproof security in and around the jails and things become even harder when there is a severe shortage of manpower. This is exactly the problem the jail authorities are facing today.
Currently, there are inadequate officials and constables working in different jails, and this number is too inadequate to dynamically handle the prisoners flow in every jail. Maintaining law and order inside the jail is becoming a challenge with the inadequate number of constables, according to media reports.
Therefore, additional security forces must be deployed at every jail across the country. Security must be strengthened in all jails across Bangladesh.
