151 prisoners escaped in three years

PATNA: As many as 151 prisoners — both undertrials and convicts — have escaped from different jails of the state since 2000, according to data available in the jail department.
Of them, 39 escaped in 2000, 23 in 2001, 43 in 2002, 31 in 2003 and 15 in the current year till date. Of the total 54 jails in the state - 6 central, 24 district and 24 sub-jails - Jamui subjail is at the top having a record number of 11 escapees on March 11, 2002, followed by Virpur sub-jail with 10 escapees on June 6, 2003, and Barh sub-jail, Nawada and Bettiah district jails with 8 each on March 19, 2000, December 23, 2001 and August 11, 2002, respectively.
Although no official of the jail department was ready to be quoted, sources in the department admitted the fact that whenever there are elections, whether parliamentary or assembly, frequencies of jailbreak incidents increase, in which often hardcore criminals escape.
Their services are greatly required by political parties, particularly by the ruling party, for capturing booths or intimidating voters to cast their votes in favour of a particular candidate.
In the recent three incidents, in which eight prisoners from Chhapra district jail, four from Danapur sub-jail and three from Supaul sub-jail escaped in the last fortnight, there are many hardcore criminals. Notorious criminals — Rajkishore Choudhary alias Lulha, Dharmendra Yadav and Ali Akbar — escaped from Chhapra jail. Of them, Lulha and Yadav were killed in an encounter on Wednesday.
All the four prisoners — Guddu Choudhary, Sohan Dom, Mantoo Dom and Chhotu alias Dheeraj — who escaped from the Danapur subjail, are involved in a number of criminal cases.
Dheeraj is the brother of Billoo Paswan, who had been killed in police encounter last year, according to the police. Similarly, three prisoners who escaped on February 13 night from Supaul sub-jail, were hardcore criminals.
Jail minister denied the allegation that the ruling RJD “managed� the escape of hardcore criminals from jails to utilise their services during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“Had it been so, Chhapra jail warder Dudhnath Sharma would not have been killed.� He alleged that the BJP is the mastermind behind all the jailbreak incidents.
He further stated that of the four escapees from Danapur sub-jail, two were the polling agents of Unionminister C P Thakur.