Deputy prison officer of Kerala’s Kottarakkara special sub jail I Abdul Sathar was suspended pending inquiry over an interview he gave to a Malayalam television channel in connection with the escape and capture of rape-murder convict Govindachamy from the Kannur Central Jail.
The suspension order issued by Deputy Inspector General of Prisons Dinesh B lists various remarks made by Sathar to the channel. As per the order, Sathar told the channel that Govindachamy had given prior information regarding his jailbreak and threatened to rape his family members. He also said that Govindachamy was being funded by a group in Coimbatore that is managing the gold stolen by him in some earlier case.
Govindachamy, who was serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman, escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail in the early hours of Friday, July 25. After an intense manhunt, he was captured nearly five hours later, three kilometers from the jail.
The suspension order says that the disciplinary action was taken based on the finding that Sathar’s interview tarnished the department’s image and also impacted the morale of its staff.
Sathar is already facing a department-level investigation into various allegations against him. The department said that the remarks were a major lapse coming from a responsible officer.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the jailbreak in Kannur. Apart from a department-level inquiry, a high-level team consisting of former High Court judge CN Ramachandran Nair and former Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose will conduct the investigation. The government is also planning to construct a new central jail in view of overcrowding of inmates and has begun looking for suitable locations in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta.