PANAJI
Neria Bendavid, Meenashe Sasson both Israeli nationals and Victor Ubanozie a Nigerian all of whom were at the receiving end of violent assaults by jail guards at Colvale, which came to light in October 2015, had approached the HC seeking implementation of better monitoring systems in the jail.
In an order issued on Friday last, the Division Bench of the HC has mandated among other things, the installation of CCTV cameras at vantage points, a resident medical officer on the jail premises besides a mandatory visit by the Board of Visitors of the Central jail which includes the North and South Goa District Judges as members.
Four jail guards were suspended and Jail Superintendent Melvyn Vaz was transferred after the incident back in 2015 which made headlines across the country. The atrocities came to light when around 10 undertrials, facing charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, were produced before the NDPS court in Mapusa complained to the judge that they had been assaulted by jail officials with sticks and appealed not to send them back to the ‘correctional home’.
The main thrust of the complaint was that inmates were subjected to humiliation, physical assault and inhuman treatment in the jail. Some of the inmates had alleged that they were brutally assaulted in October 2015 by jail authorities and were denied even basic medical treatment. Besides, there were allegations of jail staff abusing them and taking away their personal items including clothes and harassing them.
As part of their suggestions before the HC, the
Board of Visitors to visit jails preferably every month to hear grievances of prisoners
CCTV cameras to be installed at vantage points to monitor conduct inside jail
Resident Medical Officer be appointed at the jail to provide medical attention to inmates
Visits of NGOs for interacting with inmates to hear their grievances
Installation of complaint box and regular processing of contents by Principal District and Sessions Judge
Proper training be imparted to jail officials for handling inmates during violent situations
Sensitisation of jail officials subjecting inmates to inhuman treatment to entail action
