Sodomy in prison: Cops, jail officials order double probe

Additional Director General Prisons Amitabh Gupta has taken cognisance of middayrsquos report on a 24yearold POCSO prisoner who was allegedly brutally sodomised by two inmates of Arthur Road prison last week Gupta has asked Deputy Inspector General South Yogesh Desai to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report at the earliestThe NM Joshi Marg police meanwhile have registered an FIR against the prisonersmdashSameer Shabbir Shaikh alias Pudi 22 and Rashid HasanFaras 36mdashfor assaulting the youth Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police Akbar Pathan was camping at the NM Joshi Marg police station on Monday and stayed there till evening Sources said an NM Joshi Marg police team entered the jail and have spoken to more than 80 prisoners to verify the allegations made against Faras and PudiA highly placed source at the prison said that Faras who is handinglove with prison staff members at the jail has been hurriedly shifted to an anda highsecurity cell ldquoFaras Pudi and the POCSO prisoner have been adjusted in separate barracks The Mumbai police team had come to the jail and the cops were informally asking many inmates about the incident about 80 of them spoke to the cops from NM Joshi Marg police station on Mondayrdquo the source statedThe NM Joshi Marg police station PicAtul KambleldquoThe first information report FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code Sections 377 323 504 506 and 34 after recording the statement of the POCSO prisoner who narrated his ordeal to the police teamrdquo said Arvind Chandanshive senior inspector NM Joshi Marg police Faras imprisoned in an NDPS Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances case is the boss of his barrackThe POCSO prisoner who has been inside the highsecurity prison since April had informed Vijay Kumar Kasbe the incharge of the Circle but officials did nothing ldquoLater when a senior jailer Lahu Kanaskar learnt about the despicable act the POCSO prisoner was rushed to JJ hospital for medical examination as well as treatment because he was writhing in painrdquo said a prison sourceAccording to a prison source Faras is domineering as he has been imprisoned for over four years ldquoAll the prisoners at the barrack abide by what Faras says and if anyone dares to go against him he is badly assaulted or sexually abusedrdquo said a prison sourceAs per the FIR the POCSO prisoner told police that the incident took place on June 7 between 140 and 2 pm ldquoThe prison staff initially tried to suppress the matter He the prisoner had been writhing in agony and he even had informed the Circle incharge but none of them paid heed Later he was rushed to JJ hospital on June 10 to conduct his medical examinationrdquo said a highly placed source at the prisonAsked if action will be taken against Kasbe or any other prison staff for reportedly suppressing the matter the ADG Prisons Gupta said ldquoThe DIG is conducting the enquiryrdquo Police SubInspector PSI Sagar Shirke has been appointed to probe the case ldquoNo arrest has been made so far as we are investigating the matter The medical report of the POCSO prisoner is yet to comerdquo Shirke told middayA source at the police station told midday that the jail authorities are yet to hand over relevant documents to NM Joshi Marg police to assist them in their investigation The interrogation of both the accused is yet to be conductedMeanwhile the prisonerrsquos hospitalised father told midday ldquoI donrsquot know what is going on inside the prison I donrsquot have anyone in Mumbai I have been admitted to a hospital in Gorakhpur If I say anything against the prison staff they will kill my son I am worried about his safety Please save my son and provide him with adequate medical treatmentrdquoArthur Road jail has been in the limelight of late for all the wrong reasons In April an inmate Iqbal Abbas Shaikh who has been imprisoned since September 2021 in connection with a murder case had first asked a havaldar about a proper space to sleep but was told to pay up according to his brother SikandarWhen he argued against this and insisted on having the space Havaldar M K Bhoir allegedly first verbally abused him and later caned him mercilessly on April 24 resultant of which Shaikh sustained two righthand fractures The prison staff however delayed giving him medical treatment and was admitted to JJ hospital after three days His surgery was conducted on May 2After midday highlighted the incident Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a probe into the scam which took place under the nose of Jail Superintendent Nitin Vayachal who claims that he was on leave when the incident took place No police complaint has been registered in connection with the incident as the NM Joshi Marg police shooed away the Sikandar when he visited there with a written complaintldquoThe cops did not entertain me The then senior inspector Sunil Chandramore first heard me out and later told me to go Itrsquos been close to two months since my brother was assaulted but the FIR is yet to be registered despite going to the police station with my complaintrdquo Sikandar said ldquoI donrsquot know what investigations the cops and prison staff are doing if the FIR is not registered What if my brother is killed inside the prison Who will be held responsiblerdquo he asked The same DIG Yogesh Desai was asked by the ADG prisons to conduct the investigation into Iqbalrsquos allegation Asked if the inquiry report has been submitted by the DIG Gupta said ldquoIt will be submitted in a day or twordquoJune 7Day alleged assault occurred5No of IPC sections invoked against duo