100 convicts on indefinite fast

By Our Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR, AUG. 19. As many as 100 convicts lodged in the Puri district jail are on indefinite fast since Friday night demanding removal of the jail superintendent.

Attempts by the senior prison officials and district authorities to persuade the convicts to call off their agitation did not bear any fruit till late on Sunday evening.

According to the Joint Inspector General(Prisons), Mr. Lingaraj Khadanga, no compromise could be reached despite holding several rounds of discussions with the agitating convicts.

While the convicts were satisfied with the assurances from the authorities regarding their demands for repair of toilets, proper medical treatment, and cleanliness of the jail premises, they were sticking to their demand for removal of the jail superintendent, Mr. Khadanga said.

The convicts are sore over the ``bad behaviour'' of the jail superintendent. The officials, however, said that the convicted inmates were agitated after the jail superintendent conducted a search operation in the jail on Friday. The Puri jail has about 450 inmates at present, as against its capacity of 220 prisoners.

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