Crackdown on prison contraband underway, says Minister Parameshwara
Tumakuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the state government has initiated stringent measures to curb the supply of contraband, including ganja and mobile phones, in prisons across the state.
He said the government had taken serious note of illegal activities originating from Parappana Agrahara jail and spreading to other prisons, prompting immediate administrative and technological interventions.
“For many days, as you are aware, in Parappana Agrahara Jail, they had been supplying ganja to several prisons across the state, and were also providing mobile phones. Such activities had come to the notice of the government,” he said.
To address the issue, the government appointed senior officials to investigate and take corrective action. “At that time, we felt that all this must be curbed by appointing a senior officer — to find out why this is happening and who all are involved, including whether any of our own personnel are involved,” he said.
The minister said the appointment of Alok Kumar as Director General of Police (Prisons) had begun yielding results, with increased detection of violations.
“After he took charge, these issues have been increasingly coming to light in all prisons. The police have also been conducting surprise raids and making detections,” he said.
Highlighting structural reforms, he said advanced surveillance systems have been introduced.
“These CCTV systems are equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras that can even capture audio -- I mean conversations can also be heard at the headquarters,” he added.
He asserted that the government’s intent was to eliminate such activities entirely and ensure accountability within the prison system, warning of strict disciplinary action against erring staff, including dismissal from service.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
