VIP nightmares stalk Birsa jail

A.S.R.P. MUKESH

Madhu Koda Ranchi, May 11: High on attitude, VIP politicians have been known to keep Birsa Munda Jail authorities on their toes. But Kamlesh Singh’s recent “disappearing act” for three days gave them the jitters. One among the three tainted ministerial colleagues of former chief minister Madhu Koda, Singh had moved to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences on May 7 after being released from AIIMS in New Delhi, where he had been allowed to go for treatment. Yet, till yesterday, authorities at Birsa jail had no clue about their VIP ward, forcing superintendent D.K. Pradhan to file an affidavit in a CBI court saying they had not been kept informed about the former minister’s whereabouts. Today, it was left to RIMS, where he was being treated for bronchial asthma, to issue a formal note to the jail authorities about his presence. “I got the information this evening from the hospital,” Pradhan confirmed. As per rules, police officials escorting Singh should have informed Birsa jail about his arrival in Ranchi on May 7.  According to RIMS medical superintendent S.K. Choudhary, Singh was referred to the hospital from AIIMS. “In his discharge note, AIIMS stated that he may be admitted to the hospital here,” he said. On May 8, Singh was admitted to ICU after he complained of hypertension. He was kept under observation till yesterday and sent back to cottage (number 6) at RIMS. Singh, and his three colleagues, MP Madhu Koda, Harinarayan Rai and Anosh Ekka, have been in Birsa jail for over a year and a half after being booked by the vigilance bureau for siphoning government funds and amassing assets beyond their known sources of income. The CBI is on their case now. Lodged in the upper division section in a cluster of eight cottages with a separate kitchen for jailed VIPs, Koda and Singh were the more demanding of the four, said jail authorities. And visits to hospitals seemed to be a favourite vocation of both. Rai kept himself busy with puja-paath, while Ekka insisted on VIP comforts like meals on time and clean sheets. “Every other day, they complain of some new ailment and demand hospitalisation,” a jail official said on condition of anonymity about Koda and Singh. “We don’t take chances and try to seek the court’s permission to send them to hospitals. But after a time, it gets on your nerves,” he confessed. Ever since Koda was in jail, he has been complaining of a shoulder pain. He was referred to AIMS an innumerable number of times. But, he never stopped complaining. And once, he even came back without a medical report. “Last time, he came back from AIIMS without any medical report. When asked, he claimed the doctors didn’t give him any,” the official said. “When we called the AIIMS director, he said a report was handed over to Koda and that they did not stock OPD patients’ medical reports. We went back to Koda, who then said he had misplaced it.” Koda’s wife and advocate visited him three to four times a week. Otherwise, he preferred to be alone and approached jail authorities only when he needed something. Ekka was only concerned about what he called “simple pleasures” of life like clean sheets, an extra foam mattress, 6am newspaper and 8am breakfast. His wife and relatives visited him regularly. Recently, another jail official confided, he asked for a computer in his cabin. “He wanted to learn computers like Koda,” said the official. “When we asked him why, Ekka sounded offended and shouted back, ‘if Koda can get one, why not me?’.” Officials admitted managing the four VIPs wasn’t easy. “No VIP leaves his attitude behind and wants to live life king-size even behind bars,” the official declared. Pradhan maintained the one thing they were seriously concerned of were disputes or fights involving the high-profile inmates. “As brawls are common in jails, our main concern is to provide them security as even a scar on their body will make headlines,” he said.