Balasore: A day after an undertrial prisoner escaped from Soro Jail in Balasore district, the Director General of Prisons, Susant Kumar Nath, on Wednesday placed two warders under suspension for alleged dereliction of duty.
Confirming the disciplinary action, DG Nath said the suspension followed preliminary findings indicating negligence on the part of jail staff. He has also directed Additional DG (Prisons) Amitabh Thakur to personally visit the Soro Jail and conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. Two Senior Superintendents of Jail have been included in the probe team to assist with the investigation.
The absconding inmate, identified as Deepak Roy, was lodged in connection with a theft case. According to sources, Roy reportedly used a blanket to scale the boundary wall and escape from Ward No. 4 late on Tuesday evening.
The jailbreak has raised serious questions over security arrangements at the overcrowded facility, which houses around 250 inmates despite having only three staff members managing day-to-day operations.
This is the second jailbreak in Odisha within a month. Earlier, two inmates had escaped from Choudwar Circle Jail in Cuttack, prompting a state-level review of prison security.
Meanwhile, DIG (Prisons), Cuttack Range, Anushaya Jena, visited Choudwar Jail on Wednesday to assess the earlier jailbreak incident and examine reports of inmate clashes.
In a related development, State Commission for Women (SCW) member Pratibha Satapathy also visited the Choudwar facility to evaluate the condition of 48 women prisoners housed there. She later stated that no safety concerns were found during the inspection.
