Rape-murder convict Govindachamy’s, alias Charley Thomas, short-lived breakout from the high-security Central Prison in Kannur on Friday (July 25, 2025) has raised questions about the prison management and level of adherence to jail rules and security protocols in correctional facilities in Kerala.

The Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services department has suspended four jail officials on charges of grave security lapses, dereliction of duty and criminal negligence following the incident. They included the head warden and three night-time jail custodians.

Disconcertingly for the government, the prison breakout occurred on a day when Balram Kumar Upadhyay, the Director General of Prisons & Correctional Services in Kerala, was supposedly scheduled to attend a high-level meeting at the Central Prison in Kannur.

Criminals have free rein in prisons: Satheesan

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan stated in Kochi that criminals, including those involved in political murders, had free rein in prisons in Kerala under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. He alleged that “political control” prevented prison authorities from stringently adhering to security regulations.

“Felons freely use mobile phones in jails. They have access to drugs and liquor. Jails provide a perfect alibi for criminals to mastermind their illegal activities outside. A legacy of official complacency and corruption help them,” he alleged.

Mr. Satheesan said a vigilant public helped the police catch Govindachamy. “The State police have nothing to claim credit for,” he added.

CPI(M) controls advisory board: Surendran

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president K. Surendran alleged that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] controlled the jail advisory board that, for all practical purposes, ran the Kannur Central Jail.

In a social media post, Mr. Surendran noted that CPI(M) veteran P. Jayarajan and the party’s legislator from Thrikkarippur Assembly constituency (M. Rajagopalan) sat on the board.

Mr. Surendran said “the government owed the public an explanation” of how Govindachamy, a convicted criminal who posed a serious threat to society, could break out from solitary confinement and scale a lofty wall topped by a barbed electric fence to make good his escape shortly after midnight.

Security audit

The Prisons department has reportedly ordered an audit of the security of prisons in Kerala. It would entail a review of the surveillance and lighting systems at State prisons. The jail authorities had learned about the escape only during the regular morning roll call.

An official privy to the matter stated that the police would also investigate whether wardens conducted surprise checks of cells without adhering to a predictable timetable. Investigators would also check whether night wardens undertook regular rounds inside the prison and patrolled the vast area outside the walls at night.

He stated that prima facie information suggested that Govindachamy had stocked civilian clothes and bedsheets to improvise a “rope” in the high-security cell, indicating an alleged lapse on the part of the prison administration.

“There seemed to have been no rigorous bed checks in Govindachamy’s cell despite the authorising categorising him as a high-risk prisoner. Prison rules insist that wardens file a checklist after cell inspections,” he added.

The officer added that the lack of major prison breakouts and alleged supervisory lapse on the part of officials could have induced a sense of complacency among prison staff in Kannur.