Kozhikode: The circular issued by the previous jail department chief R Sreelekha asking jail officers not to call her at odd hours over petty issues in the prison has been amended by the new jail chief, DGP Rishiraj Singh.
In his first circular after taking charge as the jail chief, Singh has said that jail superintendents can call him directly at any time if inmates are not getting escorts.
Apart from the official phone, he can be contacted on his personal mobile phone too.
The circular also makes it clear that if the accused are not presented in courts due to lack of escorts, the jail superintendent will be held responsible.
Last year, Sreelekha had issued three circulars asking subordinates to refrain from calling her directly. She had also ordered the transfer of some officers who had called her over issues like inmates’ escort, and other issues in jail.
Sreelekha had issued the circular after complaints over lack of availability of cops for providing escorts to inmates became a regular issue. It said that if there are emergency issues inside the jail, the officers should first contact the jail chief or the zonal DIG and subsequently they could contact her.
Besides, issues like providing escort to inmates was not listed among the list of emergency situations. Law and order inside the jail, jail break, serious illness of inmates, and death etc are listed as emergency situations.