Champion’s lawyer accused of bribing jailor, staff
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The jailed GNLA chairman Champion Sangma would have perhaps gone the Full Moon Dhar way in effecting a jail break had the DG (Prisons) Kulbir Krishan not prevented the move and sealed the anomalies on time.
Alleging that Champion’s lawyer Sujit Dey had bribed the jail staff including the Jailor, Krishan on Saturday said, “I have specific inputs that the lawyer has given money to the Jailor Felicita Wahlang for giving special treatment to Champion inside the jail. Besides the jailor, there are jail staff who have been bribed.”
According to the DG (Prisons), the situation was almost like that of a Fullmoon Dhar running parallel jail administration inside the Shillong district jail. “Luckily, I was able to detect this bribery on time or else there could have been another jailbreak”, Krishan said.
It may be mentioned that Dhar, the mastermind of the infamous jail break of May 31, 2009, had escaped from jail along with six others after cash, liquor and weapons were made available to him in the jail.
While informing that he has ordered an inquiry into the matter, Krishan said, “the GNLA chairman was leading a lavish life inside the jail. Besides wearing expensive clothes, he (Champion) was smoking Gold Flake king size cigarettes inside.”
Meanwhile, a report on how cash, cigarettes and other things reached the hands of Champion, who is currently in judicial custody at the High Security Ward (HSW) of the Shillong District Jail, was recently sent to the Principal Secretary Home (Jail) Hector Marwein by the DG (Prisons) on September 21. Marwein later handed over the report to Chief Secretary WMS Pariat for necessary action.
Before submitting the report, Krishan had ensured
that the entire staff guarding the HSW is replaced while Jailor Felicita Wahlang was sent to Tura on temporary duty on September 12.
It was on August 26 that Champion was brought to the HSW of Shillong District Jail along with Poly Tangsang, another under trial prisoner. Six more prisoners were also lodged on the ground floor of the HSW.
“It is reliably learnt that Sujit Dey, the lawyer of Champion paid a large sum of money to the Jailor, Felicita Wahlang. It may be mentioned that they have a long association and Sujit Dey addresses her (Jailor) as ‘mummy’. These funds were used to provide extra facilities to the under trial prisoner and to influence other prisoners”, the report said.
According to the report, the HSW is a highly guarded separate enclosure within the jail and on the instructions of the Jailor Felicita Wahlang, the warders recently left the gates to the HSW and other wards open allowing several prisoners to meet Champion.
One of the under trial prisoners (UTPs) lodged at the ground floor, Shanborlang Wahlang, who was produced in the the court of Judicial Magistrate FS Sangma on September 5, informed the court that “he will be getting bail as Champion Sangma was willing to pay Rs 5000 to his advocate to obtain bail”, the report said.
Following this, the Judicial Magistrate summoned the prosecuting sub inspector, B Ch Thakur and assistant jailor TD Marak and enquired about the happenings in the Shillong Jail.
“When the UTP was being brought back to the jail, he was assaulted inside
the UTP van by armed branch constable Swer who was part of the escort party. He was also beaten up by Jailor Felicita Wahlang when he returned. DG (Prisons), however, was not informed about this serious lapse by either the Magistrate or the Jailor”, the report added.
Meanwhile, Krishan visited the Shillong jail and the HSW on September 6 and found that Poly Tangsang was wearing new clothes and shoes.
The report further said: “Tangsang subsequently revealed that two shirts, two trousers and a pair of sports shoes had been purchased by the money supplied by lawyer Sujit Dey to Jailor F Wahlang who had them delivered through Assistant Jailor TD Marak, Head Warder Benjamin Lyngdoh and warder Teiborling Syiemlieh.”
Later, Krishan emptied the ground floor of the HSW and replaced Poly Tangsang with a more reliable prisoner to share the ward with Champion.
He also replaced the entire staff guarding the HSW and a new Assistant Jailor was brought in.
Jailor Felicita Wahlang was sent to Tura and the SP East Khasi Hills was asked to remove the armed branch constable Swer from escort duty.
“As part of enhancing security, strict access control was started at the main gate of the jail and entry was regulated through photo identity cards. A three tier security setup was also introduced with frisking and checking at the main gate, jail double gate and entry into HSW”, the report stated.
To prevent the flow of money into the jail, a circular was issued on September 17 to all Superintendents of jails in the State informing them that no money must be taken from prisoners for supplying items which even they were entitled to, Krishan added in the report.