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Five inmates escape from Bihar correctional home after shooting warden dead, JD(U) leader detained
The warden and a fellow inmate were shot dead in a clash over a banned cough syrup seized from the escaped inmates.
Five inmates of a correctional home in Bihar’s Purnea district, including the son of a ruling Janata Dal (United) leader, fled on Wednesday evening after shooting dead the warden and a fellow inmate in a clash over a banned cough syrup seized from them.
A few days ago, a few bottles of the banned medicine were recovered from the possession of these five inmates, and they had suspected another group of inmates of telling officials about them. On Tuesday, warden Bijendra Mandal had allegedly beaten all the five over the matter.
On Wednesday, the two groups clashed and an inmate, whom the five suspected of informing on them, was shot dead. The warden was also shot when he tried to intervene and break up the fight.
The incident also came on the day when judicial magistrate first class Divya Prakash, of juvenile justice board, had directed the five’s transfer to the Sheikhpura correctional facility.
“These five inmates were drug-addicted and whenever they were stopped they grew violent”, police cited some inmates as telling them.
Staff of the correctional facility have doubts whether the five were juvenile at all. “All the five are between 21 and 25 years of age and have been lodged in correctional facility. They have been creating nuisance ever since they were brought here,” a cook at the facility said.
Sources said: “Even the guard deputed on gate had no courage to stop them from going outside and they would often go and spend their nights with their families and friends.”
While police have launched a manhunt to nab all the five, a judicial probe has been ordered into the incident. “The probe has been undertaken from two angles - from where the inmates were supplied firearms and how the banned cough syrup continued to be made available to them”, a probe team member said.
JD (U) leader Amarendra Kumar Kushwaha, whose son was among the five, was detained by the Purnea police on Thursday in connection with the shootout. Kushwaha, who is the general secretary of the party’s district unit, said he has resigned from the post soon after his son’s name figured in the incident.
“I want speedy trial in the case,” he told media at the police station.
“I have often been visiting correctional facility and have discovered lawlessness inside it. I want impartial probe into the matter including who funded these boys to procure the pistol which was used in killings,” he said. “Till the probe is complete I can’t hold any party post,” he added.
Kushwaha said that his son had cleared Intermediate this year and was admitted in local Purnea College. “He has cleared BHU (Banaras Hindu University) entrance this year but he could not get admitted as he was in correctional facility after he fired at one of the college students in Purnea town,” he said.
“I did not resign from my post at that time in the hope that he would shun bad company and also it was his first crime,” he said.
