All 2,064 prisoners, including former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, are safe in Rajahmundry Central Prison, asserts DIG

The undertrial prisoner who succumbed to dengue while undergoing treatment in GGH-Kakinada was not in prison even for a single day since his admission on October 6, says Ravi Kiran, who is also in-charge of Rajahmundry Central Prison; the concerns of the families of all the prisoners is similar, and there is no need for Naidu’s family members to panic over his safety, he says

Deputy Inspector General (Prisons), Coastal Andhra Pradesh, M.R. Ravi Kiran, on September 21 (Thursday) said that the Rajahmundry Central Prison “is safe for all the 2,064 prisoners, including former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is lodged in the prison on judicial remand.”

Mr. Naidu’s 14-day remand in the A.P. Skill Development scam case will be over on September 24.

Mr. Ravi Kiran was responding to the concerns expressed by Mr. Naidu’s son and TDP national general secretary Lokesh over his father’s healthcare in the prison following the death of an undertrial prisoner, identified as G.V.V. Satyanarayana, due to dengue while undergoing treatment in GGH-Kakinada, on September 19.

“The undertrial prisoner was brought to the prison on October 6 with mild symptoms of dengue. His condition was diagnosed during the medical examination conducted at the time of the admission. He was immediately admitted to GGH-Rajamahendravaram and later shifted to GGH-Kakinada, where he succumbed to dengue on September 19. He did not spend even a single day in the prison,” Mr. Ravi Kiran, who is also in-charge of the prison, told The Hindu.

Referring to Mr. Lokesh’s apprehensions, Mr. Ravi Kiran said, “We do understand the concerns of Mr. Lokesh on the healthcare being provided to his father in the prison. At present, we have 2,064 inmates, including Mr. Naidu, in the prison. All of them are in safe hands.”

“The concerns of the families of all the prisoners is similar. There is no need for Mr. Naidu’s family members to panic over any of his safety aspects. Every care is being taken to prevent outbreak of viral fevers among the inmates and staff of the prison,” he said.

“Fogging has been undertaken on the entire prison campus. We have ensured that there is no water-logging. Teams of doctors are visiting the campus to advise measures to be taken to ensure proper healthcare of the prisoners,” he said.