Mumbai jails to adopt Yerawada intercom system model

Rattled by the attack on Abu Salem late Thursday night inside Taloja jail, the top brass of state prison department have decided to launch intercom system at visitors’ lounges of all jails in Mumbai area on the lines of the system introduced at Yerawada Central Jail.

The system allows jail officials to record the conversations between inmates and visitors. Senior officers have also instructed jail superintendents to use videoconferencing facility for court case hearings instead of taking prisoners to courts.

The decision comes in the light of the revelation that Salem’s assailant Devendra Jagtap alias JD had smuggled the weapon used to attack the gangster while returning to the jail after attending a court hearing.

The intercom system was recently started at the Yerawada jail. Officials feel that the facility is useful in not only knowing the information that is passed by inmates to their associates as it enables them to record the conversation during the visits but also help in keep a check on passing of banned articles as there is no physical contact between the inmate and the visitor.

Speaking to dna, deputy inspector general (prisons) Rajendra Dhamne, who is holding the charge of headquarter of IG Prison’s office, said, \”After the attack on Salem, we have decided to start the intercom system in Mumbai jails. With inmates finding new ways to ‘dodge’ the jail security, we have instructed superintendents to keep a close tab on notorious criminals.”

The facility

To monitor conversations between inmates and visitors, jail officials have redesigned the visiting rooms by putting up glass partitions to segregate them. Hence, inmates will have to talk to visitors through a specially designed intercom system that would allow jail officials to eavesdrop on the conversations. Underworld don Arun Gawli allegedly passed instructions to his gang during such visits. Yogesh Raut, the prime suspect in software engineer Nayana Pujari kidnap, gang-rape and murder case, used such visits to plan his escape from custody. Local goon Sharad Mohol had allegedly given instructions to his gang and family to step up the gang’s extortion operations taking advantage of the notoriety he had earned by killing alleged Indian Mujahideen operative Qateel Siddiqui.

Jail authorities feel that the new system will help mitigate the chaotic situation at the main gate during visiting hours.