Theni jailbreak: Palaniswami attacks TVK govt; demands stronger prison security
Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the TVK government after 17 undertrial prisoners escaped from the Thekkampatti prison in Theni district, alleging that the incident exposed serious failures in prison administration and law enforcement.
The prisoners reportedly assaulted guards before escaping on Monday night. Special police teams have since apprehended four of them, while efforts continue to trace the remaining escapees.
In a post on X, Palaniswami described the jailbreak as shocking and questioned why the government had failed to strengthen security following an earlier incident in which two prisoners escaped from Puzhal prison.
He said the earlier escape should have prompted an immediate review of security arrangements across Tamil Nadu’s prisons. Instead, he alleged, neither the government nor the minister concerned had devoted sufficient attention to preventing another breach.
Palaniswami singled out Minister C.T.R. Nirmalkumar, pointing out that the law, electricity and prisons departments were under his charge. He alleged that all three departments were facing administrative failures.
Referring to alleged irregularities in government lawyer appointments and electricity procurement, besides power cuts, the AIADMK leader said the prisons department had now joined the list of troubled portfolios.
He also accused Nirmalkumar of spending excessive time attacking the AIADMK in public rather than addressing shortcomings in the departments he administered.
Turning his criticism towards Chief Minister Vijay, Palaniswami questioned the effectiveness of his earlier inspection of Puzhal prison. He asked how prison security could remain inadequate despite the Chief Minister’s visit and whether the exercise had produced meaningful improvements.
The opposition leader argued that an escape involving an alleged assault on prison guards raised broader concerns about public safety. If authorities could not maintain security inside prisons, he asked, how could ordinary people feel safe on the streets?
Palaniswami also cited alleged increases in murders and crimes against women, cases of missing children and allegations involving a ruling party functionary’s links to narcotics.
In a sarcastic reference to the government’s publicity, he said these incidents could themselves be compiled into a publication marking its first 150 days in office.
He urged the government to apprehend all escaped prisoners, return them to custody and give sustained attention to maintaining law and order across Tamil Nadu, alongside strengthening prison security.
