The Tamil Nadu Government has constituted a High-Level Committee to review security in the State’s prisons following the recent escape of 17 prisoners from Theni District Jail. The decision was taken after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay conducted a security review of prisons across the State. The committee will be chaired by former Director General of Police Thiru J.K. Tripathy, IPS (Retd) Its members include K. Shankar, IPS, Additional Director General of Police / Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services, and S. Rajendran (Retd), former Deputy Inspector General of Prisons.
The committee will conduct a detailed inquiry into recent security lapses, examine existing security architecture, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), technology gaps, and manpower deployment. It is tasked with recommending comprehensive measures based on best practices from across India and abroad, submitting its report to the Government at the earliest. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has directed that prison security be strengthened on a war footing and warned that accountability will be fixed for any negligence in duty.
