DHENKANAL: Dhenkanal Jail is plagued with a plethora of issues, including shortage of staff and mismanagement.As many as six posts of warders out of sanctioned 36 have been vacant for years. Besides, the post of clerk-cum-typist and school teacher have not been filled up for the last two years. The prison also does not have a dedicated welfare officer and the responsibility has been assigned to the officer from Angul.
Besides, several CCTV cameras are either not being used or are out of order. The watch tower too remains non-functional making it impossible to detect entry of drugs into the jail. An under-trial prisoner Siba Munda had escaped from the prison two months back and is yet to be re-arrested.
The prison was in the news recently as one of its warders, Bairangi Barik, was arrested along with two criminals in connection with murder of one Purna Chandra Behera. Town police station IIC Guanranjan Samal said Barik used to supply drugs to Babaji and Kalia when the duo was in jail.
He was also known to have links with the deceased, from whom he used to borrow money. On the day of the incident, Babaji and Kalia had a heated exchange of words with Purna when they were having a feast. Bairagi intervened and allegedly instigated Babaji and Kalia to kill Purna.