RAWALPINDI, July 27: The district police officer (DPO) has so far failed to provide additional police force to beef up security at Adiala Jail in the backdrop of Sialkot prison tragedy, the jail deputy superintendent, Mr Ayub, said on Sunday.

The jail official said the prison administration had requested the DPO for the provision of an additional force of 30 personnel for deployment on the jail premises. However, till now the DPO has not responded, he added.

Meanwhile, the district Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, while talking to this reporter, said he too had asked the Rawalpindi DPO Moravat Shah for additional police force for deployment at the outer cordoned area of the prison.

The jail sources said the jail was overcrowded and did not have enough security staff to look after such a huge number of prisoners. The jail having an original capacity of around 1,800 is currently housing 5,100 detainees.

Stressing on the need for additional police force, the jail officials said there were around 800 highly sensitive prisoners, including some sectarian killers and terrorists, in Adiala Jail. The number of condemned prisoners is around 450.

The death cells, they said, were also overcrowded and were major source of concern for them.

It can be recalled that two condemned prisoners had killed their fellow inmate in Adiala Jail.

The officials said they were taking all possible measures to pre-empt any untoward incident. “We have thoroughly combed the jail atleast twice for illicit items like drugs and arms, but have been unable to find anything so far,” the Adiala Jail deputy superintendent, Mr Ayub, said and added that another surprise search was being planned.