J&K Prison Deptt on ‘crutches’ as police cadre officers handling operations in jails

Jammu: Thousands of unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir are eyeing to get absorbed in the government departments but contrary to that, the operations in the prisons across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, are being handled by the police cadre officers than specially trained jail staff due to crunch of officers and officers as no recruitment has been made in this sector for the past seven years.
Sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Prisons Department said that the training and working of the officers in both (Police) and (Jail) cadres are absolutely different, adding, “in seven district jails including the Central Jail of Srinagar, which is one of the most sensitive, work is being handled by the officers of the police cadre.”
There are a total of 14 jails in Jammu and Kashmir, which include two central jails, 10 district jails and two sub-jails.
“Some senior officers from the para-security forces may also be deputed in the jails of Jammu and Kashmir and the prisons department has not received any prison cadre officer from the Public Service Commission (PSC) for the last seven years,” sources said.
Even after the escape of Pakistani terrorist Naveed Jatt in the Srinagar Central Jail, only one inspector level officer of the police cadre was acting as a jailer, while the rank of a Jail Superintendent is of the SP rank.
“The training of both the cadres differs and after the appointment of the jailer, the officers have to undergo six months training at centres established at Lucknow, Bangalore, Hisar and many other parts of the country,” sources said.
Even in South Kashmir's Pulwama and Anantnag while in Jammu division's Kishtwar, Reasi, Hiranagar jails, inspector level officer of the police department is working as a jailer, they claimed.
“In the next one year, more than half of the jailers, including Dinesh Sharma of Jammu's Kot Bhalwal jail and DIG Prisons, Sultan Mohammad Lone, will get retired in December,” they said adding, “after this, the operation of all the prisons will be in the hands of the officers of the police cadre.”
“For the past seven years, no appointment of jail cadre staff is made,” sources added and said, “The job of the police cadre officers is to investigate criminal cases but the officers dealing prisons is to improve the functioning in jails and the nature of duty in both the cases is completely different,” they said.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission had filled the posts of two jail officers in the year 2014, in which a woman officer was appointed in Baramulla district jail and since then the Commission has not appointed anyone as seven years have passed,” they said.
Even the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department handed over the posts of the gazette cadre officers of the prison to the Public Service Commission to compensate.
“Big reshuffle on cards in the prisons department in the coming days as the posts which are lying vacant, have been sent to the Public Service Commission to fill them,” they said.