Bid to pin blame of prison break on jailor lands Odisha official behind bars

A year ago, the high-security Choudwar jail in Odisha's Cuttack witnessed a prison break, with two undertrial prisoners accused of murder and theft escaping early in the morning. The then jailor, Santoshini Dash, was transferred for "dereliction of duty." Subsequently, the accused were recaptured. Recently, however, a new development has surfaced in this case.

The police have apprehended the senior prison superintendent, Sujit Kumar Roul, for allegedly tampering with prison records and falsely implicating Dash in the jailbreak. Roul was taken into custody on Sunday evening on charges of forgery, deceit, and reputation harm. Dash had lodged a complaint against Roul on January 17, alleging that he had forged her signature in official records to pin the blame of the escape on her.

Cuttack deputy commissioner of police, Rishikesh Khilari, mentioned that the Orissa high court had earlier denied Roul's anticipatory bail. The event took place on October 3, 2025, when Raja Sahani and Chandrakant Kumar, both from Bihar, scaled the perimeter wall of the prison, hours after the Dussehra festival celebrations. Both were apprehended months later from outside Odisha.

After the incident, Dash was transferred for "dereliction of duty." Dash filed a police complaint against Roul on January 17, alleging tampering with the jail's entry-exit registers and the minute book to falsely portray his continuous presence in the prison. Dash claimed that the in-out register showed Roul's presence despite him visiting the jail briefly on October 1 and the morning of October 2.

She further accused Roul of forging her signature to make it seem like she was disciplined when he was out on personal business on October 2. Dash also alleged pressure on her to withdraw the complaint. Roul did not attend questioning and refused to submit all prison records as part of the investigation. On August 17, Roul filed a complaint with the police, stating that the jail's minute book was missing.

Roul had previously sought interim protection from the Orissa high court in March, but his request for anticipatory bail was rejected, leading to his arrest on Sunday. Police stated that the investigation is ongoing, and additional officials may be questioned in the coming days. Following Roul's arrest, the director of prisons, Susanta Nath, visited the Choudwar jail on Monday, though the purpose of his visit remains unclear.