Two inmates playing 'vaanars' in Ram Leela flee Haridwar jail while 'searching for Sita'
Haridwar, Oct 12: Two dreaded criminals including a murder convict escaped from Haridwar district jail, officials said on Saturday.
Six jail personnel including the jailer were suspended with immediate effect for their negligence following the incident and a detailed inquiry has been ordered into it.
The incident took place on Friday night when a 'Ramleela' was being staged at the jail, they said.
Many of the cosplayers are convicts or undertrial prisoners serving time at the facility. On October 10, they were acting out a scene from Ramayana where the Hanuman-led army of monkeys searches for Sita, who is abducted by Ravana during her 14-year exile with Lord Rama and his younger brother, Lakshmana.
Two of these Vanaras headed out during the act, giving their unsuspecting audience the impression that they were on a mission to find the protagonist. However, in truth, the prisoners were executing their escape.
According to officials, Pankaj and Rajkumar escaped the premises using a ladder that was brought for construction purposes.
A search has been launched to nab the duo, the officials said.
Those suspended include Superintendent in Charge/Jailer Pyare Lal Arya, Deputy Jailer Kunwar Pal Singh Day Head Warder Premshankar Yadav, Head warder incharge Vijay Pal Singh, Badirakshak In Charge Construction Site Ompal Singh and Head Warder incharge gatekeeper Nilesh Kumar. They were suspended for negligence towards duty, officials said.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has given instructions for a detailed investigation of the incident after which further action will be taken.
The Deputy Inspector General of Prisons will investigate it and submit a report, officials in Dehradun said.
They said that Pankaj hailing from Roorkee in Haridwar was serving a life sentence for a murder while an undertrial prisoner, Rajkumar was from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh.
On Saturday, Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Doval and District Magistrate Kamendra Singh visited the jail to conduct an inspection, they said.
A forensic team and a dog squad were also called on the spot to inspect the scene and collect clues, they added.
A Ramleela performance was underway at the Haridwar jail when two monkeys, sent out to search for Mata Sita, failed to return.
— Rishabh Rajput (@_RishabhRajput) October 12, 2024
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the two had escaped by leaping over the prison boundary.
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Eligible families won't be inconvenienced with BPL card revision: Karnataka minister Muniyappa
Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka minister K H Muniyappa on Monday said the officials have been instructed to restore the Below Poverty Line and Above Poverty Line ration cards as they existed earlier.
The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister said the decision to this effect was taken in a meeting on November 21 on the orders of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Muniyappa said he has instructed officials to correct all the ration cards by November 28 and distribute rice to the BPL ration card holders with all the facilities.
This comes after some confusion in the state over the cancellation of many Below Poverty Line ration cards while the list of BPL families was being revised. The minister clarified that there was no need to worry for the eligible beneficiaries.
"Steps are being taken to ensure that the eligible beneficiaries are not inconvenienced, and the ineligible ration cards of taxpayers and government employees will be transferred to APL," he said.
The minister underlined that the state government has introduced pro-poor schemes for the benefit of economically weaker sections.
