PANAJI
A section of Colvale Correctional Home meant to serve as a controlled gateway for new inmates is increasingly being described as a place where the rules can be bent. The admission block, intended as a tightly regulated holding area for newly arrested accused, is allegedly seeing greater inmate movement and even preparations for a birthday celebration within its walls. The developments have once again put the functioning of the Prisons Department under the lens, amid a series of allegations of preferential treatment and irregularities inside the central jail. The department, however, has so far maintained silence over the allegations. Sources revealed that the admission block currently houses around 80 inmates, most of them accused persons brought in after completing police custody or remanded directly to judicial custody. As per rules, they are initially lodged for about 15-20 days before being moved to their designated blocks.
In recent months, the block has also housed several high-profile inmates including Birch by Romeo Lane owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, former Tehelka editor-in-chief and convicted sexual offender Tarun Tejpal, and Israeli drug accused Yaniv Benaim, alias Atala.
Official sources told The Goan that the latest changes have coincided with the arrival of some new inmates, with higher-ups allegedly either unaware of the developments or choosing not to intervene. One of the latest allegations is a birthday celebration reportedly planned inside the admission block on September 27, with sources claiming that an unusually large quantity of uncooked non-veg items was already stocked for the occasion. “The mess maintains a daily stock and non-vegetarian food is served on specified days. Chicken is normally brought once in 15 days. But when it was brought this Wednesday, additional stock was already kept aside for the birthday celebration on Sunday,” sources said. The alleged preparations are only one indication of the gradual loosening of controls inside the admission block. The timing of the gates is also said to have changed, as under the usual routine, breakfast is served around 6 am, following which the gates are opened briefly. They are opened again for about two hours from 8 am, around lunchtime and then between 3 pm and 6 pm.
But sources alleged that the established routine is no longer followed strictly. “In recent days, once the gates are opened at 6 am, they are hardly closed... the gates are expected to be secured by 6 pm, but it remains open till around 7 pm or later to allow inmates greater movement beyond the prescribed hours," sources said.
The allegations add to an already wider set of claims about an informal system operating within the jail, ranging from food and electronic devices to the alleged movement of prohibited items. Earlier allegations that inmates were being served unusually expensive meals have also not been followed by any publicly announced inquiry. These included claims of tandoori dishes costing up to Rs 7,000 and fried rice priced at Rs 1,000. Sources further alleged that fruits procured at government expense are being diverted for making fruit wine, while the prison canteen is allegedly being used to facilitate the entry or movement of alcohol, drugs, tobacco and other prohibited material. Electronic devices have also figured in the allegations, as sources claimed that television sets with connections are available to inmates in some cells, with around Rs 15,000 allegedly being collected only to facilitate their entry, over and above the cost of the device. The department officials remained unavailable for comment.
