Frequent prison escape attempts are deeply worrying

At a time when we are worried about the overall public order in the country, especially when most police stations are still non-functional and police force is largely indiscriminate, the repeated incidents of jail break attempts are further cause for concern. The latest incident took place in Jamalpur Jail on Thursday in which six inmates were killed. Earlier, on Tuesday, a total of 209 inmates escaped from the high security Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur after taking prison guards hostage during a demonstration. Six inmates were also shot dead then. On the same day, around the same time, at least 94 inmates escaped from Kushtia Jail. In both cases, the army later took control of the situation. But the question remains: why was the security of our prisons not strengthened after the first jail break incident in Narsingdi on July 19 in which 826 inmates, including nine militants, escaped? Such incidents also occurred in several other districts, including Chattogram, Sherpur and Satkhira.

There are obvious security lapses in our prisons, but an equally worrying development is the escape of some serious criminals, including militants and terrorists. In Narsingdi, for example, prisoners belonging to some militant groups escaped. Three of the six prisoners shot dead were also militants. According to the prison superintendent, militants and ordinary prisoners started the demonstration together that day, demanding their release. This raises another important issue that needs immediate attention: the co-housing of militants, terrorists and ordinary prisoners in prisons. This cannot be allowed as it increases security risks as well as the risk of radicalization of ordinary prisoners.

Moreover, many of the country's prisons remain overcrowded, even after recent releases following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government. Overcrowding has been a long-standing problem in our prisons. For example, according to a report published in July, the Chattogram Central Jail has a capacity of 2,249 inmates but has to accommodate twice that number. Moreover, serious criminals and militants are housed in the same sections as regular inmates, increasing security risks.

We therefore call on the authorities to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the security risks in all our prisons, address their vulnerabilities and strengthen their security, enlisting the help of other security forces where necessary. Urgent measures should also be taken to trace the escapees who still remain missing. These recent incidents are also a call for long overdue prison reforms.