Sexual harassment of women prisoners to be probed

The State government has directed the Department of Women and Child Welfare to probe into sexual harassment of women inmates at the Central Prison, Bengaluru, Home Minister K J George said on Friday.

It’s a very serious issue. The Department of Women and Child Welfare has been asked to probe into it and submit a report within a fortnight.

The government will take appropriate action based on the report, he told reporters.

Some women inmates at the Parappana Agrahara jail have written to the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, complaining that they were being sexually exploited by the wardens. They have named the wardens.

But George insisted that women prisoners were safe in jails across Karnataka, including at the Central Prison, Bengaluru.

Belagavi: 4 held

Meanwhile, police have arrested four people for assaulting two young men in Belagavi who had supported their friend in his quest to marry the niece of BJP MLA Sanjay Patil.

The incident occurred close to the Karnataka-Maharashtra border.

Initially, the complaint was lodged in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Police of that state forwarded the complaint to Karnataka as the incident occurred in Belagavi district.

George said the arrests were made based on the video footage.

On the Thirthahalli incident, the minister said that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had completed 90 per cent of the probe.

He sought to refute  reports in a section of the media on the investigation and said CID officials had been asked to issue clarification in case of “false” reports.

George dismissed the Opposition’s demand that he resign over the “deteriorating” law and order in the State, saying they had made a hobby to demand his scalp.

“The Opposition fear they will become irrelevant if they keep quiet,” he added.