VASCO: A Police Escort Cell team may have been caught on camera escorting an undertrial to an ice-cream parlour, but the head of the Escort Cell insists that Cell teams are prohibited from taking undertrials to unauthorised places.
“There are strict instructions that Police Escort Cell teams should not take prisoners or undertrials to any other place, while they are being taken to court or for a medical checkup,” said DySP N C Raikar of the Escort Cell.
When told that an undertrial, Balesh Dessai, was caught along with a Police Escort Cell team at an ice-cream parlour, DySP Raikar said: “Such things are certainly not permitted as there are possibilities that the accused can take advantage of the situation and escape from custody.”
“Whenever prisoners were taken to court for a hearing or for a medical checkup, prisoners are not allowed to visit or even halt at any other place,” said DySP Raikar.
“It is, however, difficult to monitor minutely each and every act of the Vasco Escort Cell since the police inspector and DySP are based in the Panjim Headquarters,” he added.
DySP Raikar, however, assured to look into the allegations that a Vasco Escort Cell team was caught escorting an undertrial at Sada Sub-Jail to an ice-cream parlour in the port town on Monday night.
Earlier, Vasco Escort Cell In-charge PSI Gurudas Dessai confirmed that police constables, Suraj Gaonkar and Pradip Patil, and escort vehicle driver Shivananad Budhanoor were on night duty as they had taken the accused, Balesh Dessai, to the Chicalim Cottage Hospital for a checkup.
“Police personnel are present on duty at the Vasco Escort Cell round-the-clock to meet with an emergency in the jail as often prisoners need to be escorted for a medical emergency,” said PSI Gurudas Dessai.
“Without court orders, prisoners or undertrials are not even allowed to talk to people when they are taken to court or for a medical examination,” he said.
However, police sources disclosed that influential under trials have often visited family members and have even dined in restaurants, whenever they were taken to the court or for a medical check up with help of the Escort Cell.
In first world countries prisoners are handcuffed an shackled while being transported to and from court or medical premises. Why is it in a third world and the most corrupt country criminals are treated more humanly?
ReplyDeleteGoa Police seem to be a law unto themselves.After so much negativity about them recently in the press and here on NIz Goenkar, they do not seem to tread cautiously.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt they have been promised a bribe (definetly not ice cream) for this error.