PANAJI
The death of Assistant Jailer of Colvale Central Jail Ramnath Gawde has turned the spotlight on the prison’s internal administration, with claims that the officer repeatedly complained of harassment and even sought voluntary retirement days before he was found dead.
Official sources told The Goan that Gawde, who had around four-and-a-half years of service left before retirement, had written to the prison department seeking voluntary retirement. In the letter, he is learnt to have alleged that he was being subjected to harassment by certain officials and sought to know why he was being repeatedly targeted. His concerns, sources said, were not confined to his own service matters.
Earlier, after being shifted to duties in the jail mess, Gawde had reportedly questioned his abrupt transfer and sought restoration to his previous posting, in writing. Sources revealed that he is also learnt to have objected to inmates undergoing treatment at the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) being deployed for work in the mess, warning that such an arrangement could pose a serious safety risk.
“He had cautioned that prisoners still undergoing psychiatric treatment could potentially harm fellow inmates or jail staff if assigned such duties. He wanted the department to intervene, but his concerns were allegedly ignored,” the source said.
Senior officers are expected to examine CCTV footage from the prison as part of the inquiry, although officials maintained that police are presently focused on establishing the circumstances leading to Gawde's death. The Prisons officials remained unavailable for comment.
The episode assumes significance because it comes barely weeks after the Crime Branch uncovered an organised interstate drug trafficking racket allegedly being operated from inside Colvale Jail by a convicted NDPS accused.
The investigation began with the June 18 arrest of Abhiram Pulikkal, 26, from Arpora, from whom methamphetamine and MDMA worth about Rs 2.65 lakh were seized. During interrogation and forensic examination of his mobile phone, CB claimed they found links to Azrudeen Achi alias Asaru, a convicted accused lodged in Colvale Jail.
“Azrudeen allegedly continued directing a narcotics distribution network from inside the prison, with the probe leading to seizures of commercial quantities of drugs in Delhi and the identification of associates operating from Delhi and Hyderabad,” the source said.
