Patna: Sweeping raids were carried out across jails in Bihar on Friday morning, within hours of Samrat Choudhary taking office as chief minister, in what officials described as an effort to tighten prison security and curb the circulation of prohibited items.
Police and district authorities conducted coordinated searches in several districts, inspecting wards, barracks and prison facilities in early morning operations that began before dawn. The most significant recovery was reported from Aurangabad divisional jail, where a range of improvised tools and potentially dangerous items were seized.
According to officials, the recovered materials included pliers, screwdrivers, sharpened iron pieces and makeshift knives fashioned from kitchen implements, along with scrap metal and other objects. The discovery raised concerns about the potential misuse of such items inside prison premises.
In contrast, similar operations in other districts yielded no contraband. At Siwan divisional jail, a joint team led by district magistrate Vivek Ranjan Maitrey and superintendent of police Puran Kumar Jha conducted a search lasting around an hour, involving personnel from multiple police stations. Authorities reported no suspicious findings.
In Bhojpur, officials carried out a two-hour search beginning at 4am, while in Buxar central jail, inspections extended for more than two hours. Raids were also conducted in Vaishali and Hajipur, where officials examined security arrangements, inmate facilities and hygiene conditions. No prohibited items were recovered in these locations.
Senior officials said the inspections covered all sections of the prisons, including male and female wards, high-security cells and medical units. Alongside the searches, authorities reviewed existing security protocols and issued directions to strengthen surveillance and enforcement measures where necessary.
The coordinated action, launched immediately after the change in leadership, was aimed at assessing prison conditions and ensuring stricter compliance with regulations. Officials said that, barring the Aurangabad recovery, security arrangements across the state’s jails were found to be satisfactory.
