Team Herald
VASCO: The Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and Deputy Collector Gaurish Sankhalwakar, who is holding charge as superintendent of Sada jail told Herald that he had “no clue” about the assault on under trial Sanjay Chawan when the victim complained of his deteriorating health to the jail authorities.
Reacting to Herald’s front page story “Why has no action been initiated against Sada jail officials for Sanjay Chawan’s death”, he said, “All efforts were made to record the dying statement of inmate patient. However, as the patient was admitted in ICU and was under ventilator, doctors at GMC Bambolim advised the mamlatdar not to record the statement as the patient was not fit to give statement.”
However, the PI Mormugao in his letter to the SDM Mormugao on September 23, asking the latter to record the dying declaration, mentioned that in a statement to the police, Chawan said he was assaulted by “some inmates” on September 12, but refused to lodge a complaint.
Explaining the details of the correspondence between the Mormugao police and his team at Sada jail, the SDM and jail superintendant Sankhwalkar said, “Police inspector Mormugao had written to my office on September 23 informing that the above prisoner is admitted in GMC Bambolim in ward no 110 under medico legal case of assault, brought by escort staff and had further requested me to record the dying declaration of the patient prisoner. On the same day I had directed Mormugao Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu to record dying declaration of the patient prisoner. On same evening Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu met the doctors at GMC and the doctors looking after the said patient informed that the patient is on ventilator hence not fit to give statement.”
He further said, “Thereafter Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu continuously remained in contact with the GMC doctors waiting for opportunity to record the dying declaration of the patient prisoner.”
According to Sakhwalkar, on October 3, 2016, Prabhu went to check if Chawan could give his statement but the doctors again informed him that the patient was on ventilator hence not fit to give statement. Chawan died two days later on October 5, 2016, he claimed.
Asked why the Sada jail authorities did not inform the police even on Sept 15, the SDM said, “But there was no complaint. The victim prisoner did not want to complain against anyone,” as is borne out in the letter of the Mormugao police to SDM Mormugao. He added, “Generally we receive such medical emergency complaints from inmates on routine basis and we have full time male nurse attending the patients and in case of emergency they are sent to hospitals.”
He further said that he did not take ten days to submit his report on the incident. The Mormugao police sent a note to the Asst Jail Superintendent, Sada jail on September 26 asking to find out more about the incident. A report was submitted on September 28, in 48 hours. The SDM told Herald that during investigations none of the inmates witnessed the assault barring one who said that he was witness to the assault. This was mentioned in the report based on which an FIR was lodged against murder accused Sujit Kumar Singh.
In an interesting angle to the assault case, the SDM said that before Chawan was lodged at Sada Sub Jail, he was caught red handed by the members of public who also assaulted him for some crime and the accused sustained injuries on his body for which they have all records.
