TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The suspended Colvale jail superintendent Melvyn Vaz has stated that the jail staff had to use minimal force to control the unruly and uncontrollable jail inmates at Colvale.
In a report to his superiors, the superintendent, who was suspended following complaints by 50 inmates of assault by the jail staff, said that it was necessary to control the unruly
inmates.
According to sources, all the 50 inmates assaulted were from Mapusa and Sada, who were shifted to Colvale on Saturday.
“The inmates refused to enter the cells and were unruly and it was getting difficult to control them, hence minimal force had to be used,” was what Vaz said to the I-G, Prisons, Elvis Gomes in his reply on the assault.
Gomes told Herald he has asked the new Superintendent, Margaret Fernandes, who took charge on Wednesday, to inquire into the matter and submit a report at the earliest.
On Tuesday four jail guards, Laxman Padloskar, Keshav Gawas, Rakesh Banaskar and Vilas Naik were suspended.
“The number could be more as more guards could be suspended in the coming days based on the inquiry,” Gomes said.
Gomes, however, stated that the inquiry will need more time as several inmates and staffers had to be questioned.
“I have submitted the preliminary inquiry report to the government and further inquiries are still on,” Fernandes said adding that the Goa Human Rights Commission is also probing the matter.
