Dhaka Jail's prisoners being shifted to Keraniganj jail

Prisoners of century-old Dhaka Central Jail are being shifted to newly-built one at Keraniganj amid adequate security measures from early today.

Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Hossain told journalists at a press conference in the Dhaka Central Jail this morning saying that he himself was monitoring the whole process.

He said the prisoners' shifting process began around 6 am and it is expected to end by this evening or by tomorrow.

Senior Jail Super Mohammad Jahangir told BSS that around 6,000 prisoners out of 8,500 will be shifted to the new jail today and tomorrow.

"Earlier, the rest of prisoners including female, teenager, war criminals and dangerous criminals were shifted in other jails of the country to avert any risk," Jahangir said.

Apart from the security forces of Dhaka Central Jail and detectives, adequate members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid action Battalion (RAB), police and Armed Police Battalion (APBn) were deployed to assist the process surrounding the jail areas and in different strategic points on roads leading to the new central jail from old one.

"We have close eyes on the whole process . . . as per our intelligences' report and amid tight security measures, the process of shifting the prisoners is going on," additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Sheikh Maruf Hasan told newsmen about all-out security measures in this connection. 

Earlier Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the new Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on April 10. The new central jail site with 194.41 acres of land is located in Rajendrapur of South Keraniganj, just five kms from the first Buriganga Bridge on Dhaka-Mawa Highway. 

Senior jail super said the entire jail area has a 25-feet high wall around it. Four 40-feet high watchtowers also stand in each corner of the jail, making it possible for guards to maintain surveillance. The whole area has been brought under the surveillance with Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. 

Keraniganj central jail has a well-equipped hospital as well as facilities for workshop, laundry and spinning mill. It can hold at least 100 teenage inmates and 30 patients with mental illnesses.

There is a visitor room, separate rooms for jail officials and their families, officers club, staff club, school, mosque and conference room in front of the jail, he added.

Source: BSS