The great escape from Theni jail

On October 26, a group of 17 remand prisoners hatched a plan to escape from the Theni district jail under the cover of darkness. All of them were apprehended within 42 hours in a massive search operation involving various Tamil Nadu police teams and drones. But the jailbreak has raised larger questions about prison overcrowding, staff shortages, security, and the need for reform, reports L. Srikrishna