Hyderabad: The curtains came down this evening on the historic 7th All India Prison Duty Meet – 2025 at the RBVRR Telangana State Police Academy here on Thursday, with a grand valedictory function graced by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, as chief guest.
The event witnessed the participation of over 1,200 officers and staff from 21 States and three Union Territories, along with more than 140 support staff, making it one of the largest gatherings in the history of prison duty meets.
Over three days, the academy campus transformed into a vibrant hub of professional drills, outdoor competitions, races, sports events, and fine arts contests. These competitions tested discipline and endurance while bringing out the intellectual acumen and creative spirit of prison staff.
A major highlight this year was the technology exhibition introduced for the first time by Telangana, showcasing AI-driven CCTV monitoring, drones, biometric systems, contraband detection scanners, digital prisoner tracking, and robotics. These innovations reflected the vision of secure, transparent, and humane prisons of the future. In parallel, prison product stalls displayed handlooms, handicrafts, and other goods made by inmates, symbolizing dignity, productivity, and rehabilitation.
Telangana Prisons and Correctional Services Director General, Soumya Mishraunderlined the vital but often unseen role of correctional services in nation-building. “A prison is not just a place of confinement, it is a place where broken lives are given a chance to rebuild. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s timeless words — Hate the crime, not the criminal — we in Telangana Prisons believe in custody with care and correction,” he said.
She also requested Bandi Sanjay to establishment of a National Prison Academy at Hyderabad, as recommended by the Mulla Committee apart from sanctioning modernization funds for AI-driven surveillance, digital reforms, and cyber-secure prison systems.
She also urged to opening of five new de-addiction centres at Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, Khammam, and Adilabad in addition to constructing a high-security prison at Warangal on 101 acres to reduce overcrowding and ease family mulakats.
