Four officials suspended
HERALD REPORTER
VASCO, AUG 4
Two jail guards and two assistant jailors have been suspended, after three inmates of Sada sub jail escaped from judicial lock-up in the wee hours of Wednesday.
IG Prison Mihir Vardhan suspended jail guards, Vasudev Pednekar and Deelip Gulelkar, and two assistant jailors, Uday Shirodkar and Manuel Tarvaso, for their alleged negligence in noticing a big hole drilled in the wall of the jail.
The top officials, who have issued suspension order, said the suspended officials had failed to randomly check the jail cell and never made an attempt to see the cell toilet.
“Due to their lethargic attitude, the trio easily escaped from the jail”, said a top official.
“It is impossible for inmates to have made such a large hole without any metal tool. Obviously, some noise must have been generated while drilling. How could the guard, posted just outside the jail, fail to notice this activity?” asked a jail official.
It is also suspected that the jailbreak and the negligent attitude of some jail guards could be a conspiracy to transfer the newly posted Assistant Jail Superintendent Bhanudas Pednekar.
“Since his posting, Bhanudas Pednekar has stopped the entry of cigarettes, tobacco, gutka, drugs and other prohibited items, due to which many staffers have lost underhand income”, said a source.
Incidentally, a person recently acquitted in a robbery case, who was in the Sada jail for nearly two years, told Herald on condition of anonymity that since Pednekar’s posting at the Sada, he has stopped prohibited items into the jail, thereby triggering anger among many staffers.
Pednekar, who had been awarded the best all-rounder gold medal at the jail security training in Vellur, Tamil Nadu, has improved the situation in Sada jail.
Recently, the Sada jail was awarded the best e-Governance jail in India. IG Prison Mihir Vardhan has appreciated Pednekar for the good work and many developmental projects are in the pipeline to make the jail more efficient.
Said Deputy Collector Levinson Martins: “It appears that today’s incident might not be a conspiracy since Hitler Fernandes is a habitual jail breaker. But the jail guards and jail assistants have showed lethargic attitude, as they failed to check each cell.”
“Most of the undertrials or convicts are scared to be jailed at Sada, as they cannot sneak in drugs,” said Martins.
“Why did the international fugitive Ajay Khosel, reportedly involved in manhandling and assault case in the jail, and Dudu suddenly report uneasiness when they were locked up? They were prevented from taking drugs and so, they reported uneasiness in the jail”, said Martins.
It is learnt from sources that such activities have not been stopped totally.
“As soon as Pednekar is off duty at night, prohibited items are sometimes sneaked into the Sada jail” admitted a source.
