In yet another embarrassment to the already beleaguered administration, two inmates of Sampurnanand camp jail (open jail), Sitarganj, given life imprisonment regarding a murder case, escaped from the jail on Saturday morning when they were working in paddy fields. The inmates have been identified as 34-year -old Hansraj, alias Hansa, and 38-year-old Harvansh, alias Vansha. Both are reportedly brothers. Observers ascribe such cases — now on the rise across the State — to the acute shortage of officials posted in the jails. Just two staffs — a prison guard and an Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigan limited (UPNl) employee — were assigned to stand guard.
The escapade happened when these two inmates were given work to sow paddy crops in the field. Around 9 am on Saturday, they escaped when there was nobody to keep vigil on them. The local police were informed and they started combing operation after sealing the area off. Sitarganj circle officer PS Pangti said that teams have been formed and they have been deployed at various places to nab the fugitives.
Jayant Pangti, Sitarganj open jail officer, said the jail had been grappling with staff crunch in the jail over the past few years. Out of 155 sanctioned posts of jail officials, only 27 of them are working now to guard the jail from inside and outside.Both the life-term convicts were transferred to Sitarganj open jail in July 31, 2011 from Dehradun jail, he added.
He further said the incident had come as a bolt from the blue. “One of them has recently joined the jail after spending 15 days on parole at his home. Both had completed around 12 of 14 years of sentence in the jail,” he said.Pangti said that he along with some jail officials had reached the native place of the fugitives — Tukri, Matta, Udham Singh Nagar. “His father Pritam Singh has been missing from his home. However, some locals have seen both of them in the village during day hours on Saturday. We are still searching the place for them,” he added. The Sitarganj Police Station in-charge Pradeep Rana said that a case under sections 223/224 of IPC has been registered against the accused.