BJP accuses Jharkhand govt of according 'state guest' status to Lalu

The BJP has alleged that the number of people unauthorisedly meeting jailed RJD president Lalu Prasad at RIMS has increased after announcement of election in Bihar and charged Hemant Soren government with according status of "state guest" to Prasad instead of treating him like a prisoner.

The saffron party said the RJD supremo is freely meeting political persons, especially after announcement of poll schedule for Bihar, in gross violation of the jail manual.

Jharkhand BJP unit spokesman Pratul Sahdeo dismissed assertion of Inspector General of Priosons that RIMS Director's bungalow can't be considered as a prison.

Prasad was recently shifted to Kelley's bungalow of the Director of Rajendra Institute of Medical Science after his attendants had contacted infection for COVID.

He quoted section 3 (1) of the jail manual of 1894 to say that any place where a convicted is kept even for a short duration, the person is technically considered under custody and the rules apply on the individual.

Sahdeo said that the Jharkhand High Court in its order on August 24, 2018 allowing Prasad to stay in RIMS for medical reasons had said that it should be done under judicial custody.

He further alleged that rules are grossly violated in course of meeting of visitors with Prasad.

The BJP spokesman said that rule 620 of Chapter 17 of the Bihar jail manual says that a written order from jail superintendent is needed for meeting a prisoner, but many of the visitors are coming to Prasad only on oral order.

"Even no jail official is present during such meetings where politics are talked," he alleged.

"The Jharkhand government is according status of state guest to Prasad instead of treating him like a prisoner," he added.

When asked about the charge, Inspector General of Prisons Virendra Bhusan said that Prasad is in Director's bungalow with the permission of the district administration.

The district administration takes decision about visitors to Prasad and other issues linked to it.

On Jharkhand Health minister Banna Gupta meeting Prasad at RIMS recently, the IG told PTI-Bhasha that he had gone to inspect arrangements at Kelley's bungalow.

Earlier, Bihar Deeputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had alleged that ticket aspirants for Bihar election are openly meeting Prasad without any concern for rules.

The BJP's ally JD(U) had alleged violation of the jail manual by allowing Prasad send a letter to Raghuvansh Prasad Singh asking him not to quit the party. Singh, the former union minister has died. The IG Prisons denied that the letter to Singh had political contents. 

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