LAHORE: Punjab Inspector General for Prisons Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig has ordered all the superintendents of jails across Punjab to immediately reshuffle their “orderlies” following a large number of complaints by visitors of illegal gratifications for ‘favours’ and even for genuine meetings.
A senior officer privy to the development told Business Recorder that a number of visitors from across Punjab had complaint to IG Shahid that the staff officers (orderlies) of jail superintendents do not let them meet their friends or family members and demand bribes from them for the purpose.
Taking notice of the matter, the officer said, the IG ordered to investigate the issue during which it transpired that the complaints were genuine and some orderlies had also been personally contacting visitors and demanding bribes from them on promises of extending them “favours” in exchange.
The senior officer, who wished not to be named, disclosed that most of the complaints were received from Lahore’s Camp Jail, which is Punjab’s biggest under-trial jail, followed by Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. “These complaints poured in from prisons across Punjab,” he responded when asked whether they had received such complaints from other jails.
“Numerous complaints are pouring in regarding indulgence of warders deployed as orderly to superintendents and deputy superintendents of jails. Reportedly, these warders are not being changed since long on one pretext or the other,” observed the IG Prisons in a circular issued on Thursday.
The order says that due to their deployment as orderlies for a long time, they have developed relations with families of inmates and are allegedly extorting illegal gratifications from them by providing them illegal facilities which is not only earning a bad name for the department but also tarnishing its image in the eyes of public.
“In view of the above, it is directed that duties of all the Warders, Head Warders, Chief Warders deployed as orderlies to Superintendents and Deputy Superintendents be changed without any leniency and they be deployed at ordinary beats instead of deploying them on lucrative beats/posts,” states the order, a copy of which is available with this correspondent.
It stresses that a strict compliance of the order must be ensured and furnish certificates that “duties of all uniform personnel deployed as orderlies have been changed and no uniform staff is deployed as orderlies to superintendents and deputy superintendents”. It warned that stern action will be taken if any violation was detected.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022