No lapses in security to Chandrababu at central prison, says DIG

Kakinada: DIG (Prisons) Ravi Kiran has made it clear that there is no lapse in the security accorded to Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu at the Central Prison, where he is in remand since September 10.

Chandrababu Naidu had written a letter to the ACB court, expressing fears about his security.

Based on the letter, the officials told the media at Rajamahendravaram on Friday that all security measures were being taken and there was a strict vigil. They made it clear that the threat from “Maoists’’ was fake.

Ravi Kiran said there was a strict vigil round the clock to the area where Naidu was kept and they were also monitoring the scenes by additional sets of CC cameras. “There are five watch towers around the central prison. Guard-level search is being done every hour and these are monitored through BPO CC cameras.”

He said that, in one instance, the jail authorities received information from North East Watch Tower that a drone was roaming around and heading towards the Jail Water Tank on October 22. It has not touched the closed jail and this was communicated officially to the nearest police station from the prison. Later, there was no drone presence there.

“The letter in the name of ‘Maoists’ is not original. It is fake and the threatening letter sent to Chandrababu Naidu is also a fake.”

He said that four days back, a letter appeared in the social media in the name of Chandrababu Naidu, but this had not been attested by the jail authorities. Every prisoner is thoroughly checked before he is allowed into the prison.” He said the jail authorities found a button camera from a prisoner, Srinivas, and it was seized. There was no jail footage in the camera, but there were two family photos. The camera has been handed over to the police and an inquiry is on as to why the remand prisoner brought the camera into the jail.

“No ganja packets were thrown around after Chandrababu Naidu entered the jail cell.”

Doctors identified an immature cataract to Chandrababu Naidu but there is no urgency to perform a surgery. The jail authorities have not hidden or suppressed any health report of Chandrababu and his health reports are being submitted to the court from time to time, the DIG said.

The DIG said that due to the security reasons, the jail authorities should not reveal “which room Chandrababu Naidu is in at the Sneha Barrack.”

He said Chandrababu Naidu revealed his skin allergy problem and other health issues to government doctors. Two letters have been written to his family members about his health.

Ravi Kiran said the jail authorities asked Naidu’s wife Bhuvaneswari to guide the jail authorities on his medical treatment by consulting his family doctor.

SP Jagadish said a strict vigil is being maintained by police personnel headed by a DSP-level officer around the central prison round the clock and they were monitoring the situations via CC cameras day and night.