A portion of the nearly 45-year-old main security wall of Mokokchung District Jail collapsed on August 27 at around 4:35 p.m. following three consecutive days of heavy rainfall, damaging an estimated 150-foot stretch and raising serious security concerns.

Superintendent of Jail, Mokokchung, L Bumeng Khiam, informed Nagaland Tribune that the collapse occurred immediately after the prisoners were locked up at 4:30 p.m. He said the damaged section is located just 20 to 30 feet away from the prisoners’ ward.

The collapsed portion of the wall measures 20 feet in height and more than 100 feet in breadth, and was part of the original structure constructed in the 1980s.

Khiam said that cracks had already developed across the entire wall and that the concrete structure, which has exceeded its life span, has become weak and unstable. He recalled that even last year, a portion of the wall had fallen and had to be repaired.

The Superintendent further stated that the Mokokchung District Jail currently houses 73 prisoners. This includes 23 inmates transferred from Wokha Sub-Jail, which also suffered a collapse of the main security

Wall on August 16. Following that incident, 29 prisoners were shifted to Mokokchung on August 18, of whom three have since been released.

Khiam expressed relief that no casualties occurred during the Mokokchung collapse, as all prisoners were already secured in their wards and duty personnel were present at the time. He said the damaged stretch has been temporarily fenced off with a shishajit wall, though he admitted it offers no real guarantee of security.

Labourers have been working throughout the day to erect temporary safeguards, while convicts remain under strict lock-up due to the risks posed by the weakened structure.

When asked about the maintenance of the security wall over the years, the Superintendent acknowledged that no major repair or reinforcement work has been carried out. Maintenance has only been undertaken when portions of the wall gave way, he added.

In response to the incident, Khiam sought additional deployment of security personnel from the Office of the Superintendent of Police, Mokokchung, which is currently being provided. The matter has also been officially reported to the Director General of Prisons, Nagaland; the Deputy Commissioner of

Mokokchung; the Principal District & Sessions Judge, Mokokchung; and the Officer-in-Charge of Police Wireless, Mokokchung for necessary action.

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The Superintendent stated that there is an urgent need for a complete overhaul of the aging infrastructure of Mokokchung District Jail, adding that the decades-old security wall remains highly vulnerable to further collapse.

Confirming the reinforcement measures, Superintendent of Police, Mokokchung, Vusupreo Kezo, told

Nagaland Tribune that a section of the 13th IR was deployed immediately on August 27. He further informed that one platoon from the 2nd NAP has been requisitioned and will be deployed by August 29 to strengthen security around the jail premises.