Gazipur: In a stern warning to prison authorities against illegal activities by criminal from jails, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said if anyone of them is found assisting militants, terrorists and drug peddlers, he or she will face harsh punishment as her government does not want to see any indiscipline in jails."I would like to warn you, if anyone of you is found assisting militants, terrorists and drug peddlers, he or she will face tough punishment," she told the inaugural programme of Jail Week here.
The Prime Minister said every member of jail authorities must perform his or her duties with due responsibility and sincerity as no one is above law. "So, punitive actions will be taken against the lawbreaker, or else the programmes that have been taken for prison development will turn futile," she said.
Hasina also said the security system in prisons across the country will be modernised so that the militants and top terrors cannot continue their evil activities from jails.
"For ensuring the security of the country and the nation, the security system in the country’s jails will be modernised so that militants and top terrors cannot run their militant activities and terrorist acts from jails," she said.
She said that the criminals in jails have to be put under discipline and emphasised that no criminal should get out of a prison turning into a big criminal. "You should not look at the prisoners as the prisoners only, you must treat them as members of society. If any member of society goes out from the jail being a criminal, the society will be polluted further," the Prime Minister noted.
Sheikh Hasina laid emphasis on creating a 'criminal database' for ensuring smooth law and order situation in the country.
This database, she said, will be linked to the national identity (NID) card and passport department so that the criminals and fake identity givers could be caught easily. "Necessary steps in this regard have been taken to create a database for the prisoners who come to jails," she added.
UNB/TF