PANAJI
It may sound like a scene lifted from a Bollywood prison drama. At Colvale Correctional Home, however, falling rubber balls, footballs and even paper balls have reportedly become part of a very real contraband trail.
Last year, security personnel at the jail caught four minors allegedly throwing balls containing ganja over the compound wall. Seven such balls, containing 1.397 gm of the contraband and valued at around Rs 1.4 lakh, were recovered from the premises and the police apprehended four minors.
But official sources claim the incident represented only the smaller end of a much larger problem.
A ‘gold mine’ behind the gates
Sources said that bags entering through the main gate can allegedly pass through without the level of checking expected at a correctional facility. The claim is that once contraband enters, it is broken down into small packets inside the premises and allegedly sold to other inmates.
“Same consumers, same sellers,” a source said, alleging that verbal complaints about the practice have already reached senior officials at the head office, but effective action is still awaited.
Sources further alleged that drugs, including ganja, are prepared into smaller quantities, with some packets allegedly sold to inmates starting around Rs 500. “Complaints have been made giving proof of specific GPay, UPI and other payment details allegedly linked to such transactions,” the source said.
The security arrangement includes a main gate where IRB personnel conduct frisking, followed by a second gate roughly 200 metres inside, where prison staff conduct further checks on visitors and others entering the facility. There is also a security tower, while IRB personnel are deployed within the intervening area.
Sources allege that bags brought through these channels are rarely subjected to X-ray screening, with only some smaller security bags being checked. Not only contraband, but even mobiles are also allegedly sneaked in.
High-security cell under scrutiny
Questions have also been raised over the functioning of the high-security cell, where sources allege that certain high-profile criminals receive preferential treatment.
“One inmate, recently released, was allegedly kept in the new admission block for around five months instead of being moved to a regular cell after the stipulated 15-day period,” the source said, adding that drugs were allegedly sold from this block too.
There are also allegations of assaults, with new prisoners claiming they were beaten but that complaints were not registered.
The mess, medical risks and a death
The administration of the jail mess has acquired a more serious dimension after the death of assistant jailer Ramnath Gawde, who had reportedly complained of harassment and sought voluntary retirement shortly before his death.
Gawde had objected to inmates undergoing treatment at the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour being deployed for work in the mess, warning of the potential safety risks. “What could have happened if a violent episode occurred in a kitchen where knives and other tools are kept? No action has been taken yet,” the source said.
Rules, keys and water
Sources further alleged that prisoners remain outside their cells beyond the prescribed 6 pm lockdown, and that keys to posts are not deposited with the SP cabin as required. “It remains available at individual posts. The inmates are seen moving around the campus even at 10 pm or beyond,” an official alleged.
Concerns have also been raised over staff deployment and duty hours, with allegations that personnel are being assigned for periods and in positions not consistent with prescribed rules.
Then there is the basic issue of water. Sources said health authorities had flagged contamination after finding concerns over the proximity and possible cross-contamination of the water and sewage tanks, and advised that the water should not be consumed. It is learnt that at least around 20-25 inmates were undergoing treatment for fever and water-related illness till earlier this week.
