Last week we read about a stream of news items of under-trials either escaping from under the noses of the policemen on escorting duty or minors housed at Apna Ghar for being in conflict the law and even policeman accompanying high profile murder accused to enjoy ice cream at night. This is not something new and it has been happening all the time and authorities are least bothered about getting their act straight and stop these jail breaks. These are not isolated cases as official records indicate two or three jailbreaks every year and juveniles escaping from Apna Ghar are even more frequent.
In recent times the jailors or the escort teams seems to be overtly friendly with the jailbirds or undertrials thereby assisting them to not only escape but also help them to meet witnesses to persuade them to depose falsely either under threat or for monetary gains resulting in their acquittals and sometime even plan more crimes. This mostly happens enroute from jail to court or hospital and vice versa.
When the palms of the jail authorities and escorting policemen are well greased they simply close their eyes to the activities carried out by the prisoners. A classic case in point is the murder Mohammad Pandiyal in 2002 which was planned enroute to court and jail.
Victim Pandiyal was the prime witness in the Guru Pujari murder case. Poojary was gunned down due to matka business rivalry. Initially the main accused in the case who were in custody sent emissaries to Pandiyal to depose falsely during his testimony, when he refused, the accused while in custody resolved to knock him off. The entire planning was done at various hotels in south Goa while on the way to the jail after court hearings. One of the main accused also test fired a gun at his house with the escort cops sitting in a private car outside his house. The modus operandi was to coax the escort team to take them to a restaurant where the police were allowed to feast on fried rice or chicken biryani on a table away from the prisoners. Some of the accused even met their girlfriends in hotels. The statements of the escort policemen on duty in this case and that of the accused are on record and archived in the library of south Goa police. That is not the end of the story, subsequently one of the main accused Zacarias Rodrigues also escaped from Aguada jail and Goa police are yet to trace him. It is however rumoured that he was found dead in some other state.
This is not a stray incident. There are many others and to recall and give an example of preferential treatment to some accused. Another murder co-accused from Betul who had hired contract killers to kill an elderly person used to travel in the police jeep from jail to court. But at the court he used meet his girlfriend a foreign national. After the hearing both used to take off in a private vehicle to some destination with an escort in tow. But before the log at the jail was closed for the day they would make their presence felt. There are end numbers of examples of such indiscipline by the escort police teams but all of them get away scot free. The only punishment they receive is suspension of a few days. For example 14 constables were suspended after the murder of Pandiyal, six month later after departmental enquiry they are back in the police force and by now some must even be promoted.
Some two and half years back five jailbirds had escaped from Margao judicial custody. They took advantage of the fact that the door was wide open with no sentry around. That this was a set-up to facilitate their escape was very obvious.
Last February convict Hitler Fernandes and two undertrails escaped by digging a hole in the toilet of their cell. This is a clear indication of laxity on the part of jail guards who has stated that he had inspected minutes before the escape. Is it not surprising that a manhole carved out in the cell cannot be noticed by a jail guard.
Similar is the case of the Michael Fernandes who escaped on 22nd February. This accused is allegedly involved in 22 theft, robberies and dacoities cases in Goa and Maharastra and the escorting police allow him to take a window seat in a vehicle that has no grills. Further the police do not even notice a motorcycle following them. Either the members of the escorting team were dumb and not fit to be on the police force or they allowed Michael to escape.
Then there is the case of undertrial Balesh Desai allegedly involved in murder. As the accused is the cousin of former BJP minister he was given preferential treatment. He was caught on camera enjoying ice cream in the company of Constable Suraj Gaonkar.
When former tourism minister and Benaulim legislator Mickky Pacheco commented in the Assembly that under-trials and convicts indulge in all sorts of things and everything was available in jails from mobiles to laptops, cigarettes to drugs, from jail food to restaurant food and even porn material he was not wrong. But his exposing the happenings in the jail has remained recorded only in the assembly proceedings as jail authorities does not seemed to have moved a finger to bring about discipline in functioning of escort teams as well as jail guards and even jailors.
Though all the procedures about the functioning of jail guards and escort teams are detailed in the jail manual it has remained only on paper. So also as the punishment for those officials facilitating escapes and allowing preferential treatment to some of the prisoners is not punitive enough, these officials do not mind to accept money and enjoy fried rice, chicken biryani for allowing the jailbirds to escape.
Thanks Nisser Dias for another true article. It is a true fact that there is involvement between the LAW ENFORCERS and CRIMINALS in Goa. When the jail was in old market Margao where the court now stands, prisoners were escorted chained to each other together with the police escorting them. They walked from new market police station to old market with all prisoners accounted for. Times have changed so should the system of transporting these prisoners.
ReplyDeleteNisser, another eye opener for the Goans to know what's happening under the nose. The political nexus in tandem with the corrupt police force is destroying Goa on a daily basis. Today's criminals are not just petty thieves but politically funded, organised criminals supported by the present set of rulers and MLA's. Unless the public become vigilant and whistle blowers, nothing is going to change. We need a change of mind frame of the Goans for things to really change. Cowmuth's government is the most corrupt, unfriendly governance we ever had in Goa. The present set of MLA's are a bunch of mostly uneducated fellows. Congress is not what we think and vote, they are more interested in securing seats than our welfare. Corruption is at it's highest ebb.
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful article by Nisser Dias. Hope everyone will take time to read and post his views. Niz Goenkar is the best and bold as we can get to know the reality of what's happening in Goa. There is no other media that focusses so much on Goa. Thank you Mr. Menino D' Valpoi for bringing us this wonderful gift of Niz Goenkar.
ReplyDeleteGoa Police are the richest in the world.Now many will ask how?
ReplyDeleteIt is simple.Though they get paid a measly salary, the have learnt from their Political Masters, how to add value to their salaries.
One method is bribery.If you want the Goa Police to be on your side, you just have to give tyem a HAFTA.Even if you do not wish to have them on your side, you still have to pay a HAFTA, so that they cannot invent or fabricate Charges against you.
There are several cases coming to Court where the Goa Police have framed uneccessary charges against poorly educated Goans.The are not guardians of the people ,but again pure uniformed and khaki clad terrorists
Also many cases have been so badly investigated, that a lot have been rejected in Courts or plainly accquited.
In the case of Mahanand, the DUPATTA killer,severral cases were against him were raised.This was purely to manipulate the figures for convictions and to demonstrate the Police were doinga good job.THis is a stastical manipulation
Many Goa Police personell have second jobs.Many are into Drug , gambling ,excise and prostitution rackets.
IN the death and murder case of Cipriano, the Panjim Police involved, are all denying they were directly involved.The are all looking for a "GET OUT CLAUSE".However every Goan knows this is a plain & simple case of murder and brutality of of the First Degree.
I expect if a Police is not convicted in this case, there will be some trouble in Goa and disrepct for authority.
All the evidence is clear in this case.Any thing other than a conviction and jail term is not and will never be acceptable to all Goans.
Had the government of Goa not been involved in corruption, crime and drug dealing our police would have been serving us better. Every crime would have been solved and criminals sentenced appropriately by the courts. Thanks to all those writers Like Nisser that contributes from the heart articles to this site. Thanks also to Nz Goenkar and the team we, have a uncensored platform to voice ourselves.
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