Parl panel meet on prison reforms: Cong MPs seek action against Assam chief secy for misleading info

New Delhi: The meeting of the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary panel on home affairs witnessed heated scenes on Wednesday, as Congress members suggested that a fit case to bring a privilege motion was there against Assam chief secretary for misleading the committee on the number of detention camps in the state. 

In fact, amid repeated interruptions by BJP MPs during the course of meeting, Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury even walked out of the proceedings.

The panel was discussing prison conditions, reforms and infrastructure in states of Assam, West Bengal and Odisha.

The drama began when some Congress MPs sought to know from Assam chief secretary, the number of detention camps in the state, sources aware of the development said.

When the official said that there was one detention camp which housed 200 inmates, a BJP MP incidentally countered the Assam chief secretary’s claim, by saying that as per the internet, there are six detention camps in the state.

This annoyed the Congress members, who said that it was a fit case to bring a privilege motion against the official for misleading the Parliamentary panel, sources said.

Interestingly, the panel’s chairman Brijlal, a former DGP of Uttar Pradesh and a Rajya Sabha BJP MP, countered the above-mentioned BJP MP, saying that he will go by the response of the Assam chief secretary and won’t go by what the internet says on the number of detention camps in the state.

During the meeting, many BJP MPs interrupted the proceedings of the committee’s meeting, which led to Chowdhury walking out.

Meanwhile the panel appreciated the prison infrastructure and reforms undertaken by Odisha government.

The West Bengal chief secretary though was not present in the meeting. The committee also discussed the food quality in detention camps.

The panel was informed that food served there in terms of its palatability and calorific value, is checked once a month.

However Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury suggested that food quality should be checked on a daily basis in detention camps.

–IANS