MHA clears CISF for 5 J&K jails

New Delhi MHA clears CISF for 5 J&K jails

Union home ministry has approved deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force jawans for security in five Jammu and Kashmir jails over heightened safety concerns, officials aware of the matter said.

Till now, personnel from the J&K police and prison department were responsible for securing these jails.

Earlier this month, the ministry also approved CISF security cover for the union territory’s first high security jail in Kathua, Mahanpur, which is under construction. When the Mahanpur jail starts operations, it will become the union territory’s first high-security prison complex with a capacity of over 600 inmates where top terrorists will be shifted.

The paramilitary CISF secures vital installations such as airports and Metro infra in the country.

“The new approval covers 4 district jails and the under-construction jail in Mahanpur ,Kathua. MHA recently gave approval. CISF personnel will take charge of security within the next few days. Earlier, the jails were being secured by the police and prison department of the UT,” the officials said.

“Following the Pahalgam attack, while the UT is on high alert, there is a special focus on the jails within the UT,” an official said on condition of anonymity.

The four district jails in Anantnag, Kupwara, Baramulla and Udhampur currently hold around 1,300 prisoners. Two central jails in Srinagar and Jammu are already under CISF’s security cover. These two jails have over 1,600 prisoners. CISF had in November and December inspected the security of these two jails too. There are nearly 5,000 prisoners across different jails in J&K.

Over the last few months, agencies have been conducting safety drills in jails across the Union Territory, simulating situations such as jails breaks and terror attacks.