A lower court here has directed the Superintendent of Baleswar District Jail to submit a report in response to a petition filed by jail inmate mafia don Sushil Kumar Dhalsamant through his advocate alleging that he is being repeatedly harassed by the jail authorities and deprived of minimum basic facilities required for an under-trial prisoner (UTP).
Taking up the petition of Sushil, who was arrested by the Twin City Commissionerate police in January this year on a murder charge, the SDJM Court of Cuttack Sadar has asked the jail superintendent to submit the report immediately so that the petition could be taken up for further hearing on December 8, informed Sushil’s advocate Prasanna Kumar Mohanty.
Mohanty said seeing the chiselled physique of Sushil during a court production here last week and suspecting that he is having healthy diet and exercising regularly in jail to remain fit, the police with the help of the jail authorities are harassing him mentally with an ulterior motive.
“On December 2 evening, the jailor and other jail staff entered into his cell and took away his winter garments and the dry fruits he had kept with due permission from the jail authorities, and threw away his belongings here and there. When Sushil protested, he was abused and threatened by the jailor to stop his food,” the petition said.
The petition further stated that the petitioner had earlier in May brought similar grievances to the notice of the court alleging that he was being deprived of his
fundamental rights and rights available in Under-Trial Prisoners Act and Prisons Act in the Baleswar jail.