Team Herald
VASCO: Breaking his silence on the assault of inmates at Colvale jail, for which he has been suspended, jail superintendent Melvyn Vaz claimed that he has been made a scapegoat. He questioned why only he had been suspended and not the IGP Prison Elvis Gomes, who is his superior, and Assistant Jail Superintendent Bhanudas Pednekar.
“They have suspended me, and it is fine. My only question is why hasn’t the government also suspended Pednekar, who was present and had ordered the guards to take charge, after which the situation turned ugly? He was running here and there with a mobile phone in hand, speaking to someone. God knows to whom he was giving all the details and taking orders from, that too bypassing me despite the fact that I was present in the jail premises and had no clue about the ongoing incident,” said Vaz.
He continued, “I also want to know why the government did not suspend IGP Elvis Gomes and everybody else from Colvale jail. Why did it only make me the scapegoat? Everybody has to take the blame. This will be the first time in jail history that a superintendent has been suspended.”
He further said, “A few people from the jail told me that Bhanudas was shouting at the top of his voice and instructing the jail guards “Beat the prisoners; beat the prisoners and say that the superintendent has said to beat them”. How can I be so foolish as to give such orders? I am the one who brought so much control in the Aguada jail administration before shifting. I am very social person and cannot behave in such a manner.”
“Also I was told by police (name withheld) that Pednekar went to the police and even tried to lodge an FIR against me, which makes me feel that he was working under some influence to target me. I also have information that every month, top jail officials have been making money in lakhs of rupees, which is shared amongst all officers except for me. I was their only hindrance, which was removed after my suspension,” said Vaz.
