Explain tit-for-tat FIRs: DIG (prisons) to sr jail officers

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha prisons directorate has issued explanation notices to two jail officials who lodged police complaints against each other over alleged negligence in the recent Choudwar jailbreak incident. The move follows the state home department’s intervention after the public spat drew sharp criticism.The officials in question—Sujit Kumar Raula, senior superintendent of Choudwar circle jail in Cuttack, and Santoshini Dash, the jail’s former jailer—have been pulled up for escalating an internal dispute to the police instead of reporting the matter to their superiors.“Following the home department’s directive, we have sought explanations from both officers. They should have raised their concerns with our authorities rather than lodging police complaints,” said DIG (prisons) Biren Sahoo, adding that further action will be decided after reviewing their responses.According to prison authorities, the rift between Raula and Dash amounted to a breach of decorum and discipline. “It appears to be a personal issue that they deliberately escalated, causing embarrassment to the directorate,” another prisons official said.The face-off surfaced after the daring escape of murder accused Raja Sahani and Madhukanta Kumar, both from Bihar, who fled the high-security Choudwar circle jail late in the night of Oct 2 during Durga Puja festivities inside the campus. The duo still remains untraceable.On Saturday, Dash filed a complaint at Choudwar police station alleging that Raula had framed her. She claimed Raula was absent without authorization during the jailbreak and later manipulated the gate in-out register to show his presence. Dash further accused him of forging her signature in the minute book to shift blame.Raula hit back the next day with his own FIR, accusing Dash of dereliction of duty and indirectly facilitating the escape. He alleged that Dash, responsible for overall jail security, allowed the inmates to leave their cells twice without his permission. “CCTV footage shows she failed to escort them to the puja pandal, reflecting gross negligence. She did not seek my approval to take the inmates out,” Raula’s complaint stated.The directorate is now awaiting explanations from both officers before deciding on disciplinary measures.