Bengaluru prison warden allegedly assaulted, strangled by five undertrials

A Bengaluru prison warden was allegedly assaulted and nearly strangled by five undertrial prisoners accused in the murder of former Bajrang Dal activist Suhas Shetty. Police booked the inmates for attempt to murder, while Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge called for prison reforms

Bengaluru: A 32-year-old warden at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison here was allegedly assaulted by five undertrial prisoners, who also attempted to strangle him, police said on Saturday. The five undertrials are lodged in the prison in connection with the murder of former Bajrang Dal activist Suhas Shetty, they said. The alleged assault on warden Manjunath Haveli occurred on September 2 following an earlier dispute over prison rules, police said.

According to police, Haveli went to Annex-1 of the prison at around 10.05 am on September 2 to collect information about a prisoner for a scheduled video-conference meeting when one of the accused, Mohammad Mushamir, allegedly abused him and threatened to kill him.

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Mushamir allegedly punched Haveli repeatedly in the face and nose. During the assault, four other undertrials-Abdul Shafghan, Mohammad Rizwan, Niyaz and Kalandar Shafi-allegedly joined in and attempted to strangle the warden after dragging him into a room.

Prison staff intervened and rescued Haveli. Parappana Agrahara police subsequently registered a case against the five undertrials on charges including attempt to murder and assault, a senior police officer said.

A preliminary investigation found that Mushamir had been shifted from the security section to Annex-1 and was allegedly angry with Haveli for preventing him from carrying additional belongings into the prison, the officer said.

Police said they would question the five accused after obtaining the court’s permission. Further investigation is underway. Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi about the incident, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said he would seek details and take appropriate action.
“I have not received the complete information. We will find out why this happened and what exactly happened,” he said.

Priyank said some prisoners may have psychological and behavioural issues, adding that the prison department regularly provides counselling and takes measures to control violent behaviour.

He said the report of a high-level committee headed by Additional Director General of Police R Hitendra had addressed several issues concerning prison reforms, including overcrowding, monitoring, grading prisoners based on their mental condition and deciding where they should be housed.

The report made recommendations on digital infrastructure, including CCTV cameras, checks on vegetables, groceries and other materials entering prisons, frisking of visitors and providing prisoners with means to communicate with their families, he said.

The minister said evaluating prisoners’ mental health was an important part of prison reforms and noted that inmates sometimes behave aggressively when their demands are denied or to draw attention to their grievances.

He pointed to substance abuse among some inmates. “We have seen many such instances. If they do not get substances to support their addiction, they start behaving like that. Of course, it may not be violent, but they inflict self-harm,” he said. Priyank said the recent assault on the warden would be examined to determine what led to it, but stressed the need for comprehensive prison reforms.

“Our prisons are overcrowded, especially Parappana Agrahara. There are around 4,500 people there,” he said. He said the government would need to create additional infrastructure and added that three or four new prisons were already ready or nearing completion. “They will be ready in another one or two or three months. If we do some shifting then, there will not be an opportunity for all these incidents to happen,” he said. On implementing the Hitendra Committee report, the minister said it contained recommendations on infrastructure as well as the functioning of correctional centres.

“We should see whether a prisoner who comes there can be mentally transformed. If we give them an employment opportunity and an opportunity to earn there, it can also provide support to their families,” he said.Priyank said the committee had visited correctional facilities in Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Tihar, among other places. He also said he planned to visit one or two correctional facilities next month before taking a decision on the recommendations.