Bhubaneswar: Santoshini Dash, jailer of Kantabanji sub-jail in Balangir district, has been suspended for alleged misconduct and dereliction of duty, according to an order issued by the Odisha prisons directorate on Thursday. “A disciplinary proceeding has been initiated against her for her gross misconduct,” the order read. Dash, who earlier served as jailer of Choudwar circle jail, had courted controversy after a public spat with the jail’s superintendent, Sujit Raula, in the wake of Oct’s jailbreak incident.Last month, the prisons directorate issued explanation notices to both Dash and Raula after they filed police complaints against each other, accusing one another of negligence in connection with the jailbreak. The authorities reprimanded them for escalating an internal dispute to the police instead of reporting the matter through official channels. Dash also faced scrutiny over allegations of misappropriating a former woman inmate’s gold jewellery.
Dash’s suspension comes two days after Raula paid Rs 1.9 lakh in cash to the ex-inmate as compensation for the missing ornaments. The inmate, who was lodged in Choudwar jail last Nov in connection with a cheating case, was released on bail the following month. She later filed a police complaint alleging that the jewellery she had deposited with jail authorities was not returned. Raula subsequently accused Dash of misappropriation.While Dash previously dismissed the charges as baseless, she was unavailable for comment following her suspension.
