Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Sunday suspended a prison official for making public statements regarding the recent jailbreak of Govindachamy, a rape convict.
Govindachamy (41), a native of Tamil Nadu, escaped from the Central Jail and Correctional Home in Kannur on July 25. He was nabbed the same day from an abandoned plot at Thalappu in Kannur following an intense search operation.
Deputy Inspector General of Prisons (South Zone), Dinesh B, ordered the immediate suspension of Abdul Sattar A, Deputy Prison Officer at the Kottarakara Special Sub-Jail. The action was taken pending an inquiry into remarks he made during a news channel appearance on July 26, in which he commented extensively on the jailbreak and the convict’s criminal history.
According to the suspension order, Sattar made several sensational claims, including:
1. Govindachamy had previously warned that he would escape from prison.
2. He had threatened to attack Sattar and his family if he succeeded in escaping.
3. The convict had allegedly hidden stolen gold in crematoriums in Coimbatore, and those involved in managing the gold were also linked to the case. Jail inmates were aware of this information, and it had reportedly been conveyed to prison authorities.
4. Govindachamy had harassed numerous women before his arrest.
5. Sattar further stated that he wished Govindachamy would be executed and even offered to serve as the executioner himself.
The order noted that Sattar’s remarks violated Rule 62 of the Kerala Government Servants’ Conduct Rules and a circular issued by the Prisons and Correctional Services Department. His conduct, deemed “condemnable,” was said to have tarnished the department’s image and eroded public trust in the prison system. The order also cited previous instances of misconduct involving Sattar.
The suspension comes amid mounting public criticism over alleged security lapses at the Kannur Central Jail, which reportedly enabled Govindachamy’s escape. Investigations are currently underway to probe the breach.
Govindachamy, a disabled repeat offender from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, was convicted for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman who worked at a private firm in Kochi. During a robbery attempt aboard the Ernakulam–Shoranur passenger train in 2011, he had pushed the woman off the train and sexually assaulted her. She died on February 6, 2011.
A Thrissur Fast Track Court sentenced him to death in November 2011, which was later upheld by the Kerala High Court. However, in 2016, the Supreme Court acquitted him of murder charges due to a lack of concrete evidence and commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.