In an affidavit filed in the Gujarat high court on Monday, Kumar said he had personally looked into the issues raised in the petition as directed by the court.
Refuting allegations by Sabarmati jail inmates of torture at the hands of jail authorities, IG (prisons) Keshav Kumar said the charges levelled by the prisoners were contradictory. In an affidavit filed in the Gujarat high court on Monday, Kumar said he had personally looked into the issues raised in the petition as directed by the court and found that "there is a gross variation in the averments" in the petition which is served to the authorities and the one which has been filed before the high court.
He filed the affidavit in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer and Jan Sangharsh Manch member Shamshad Pathan on March 25.
A division bench of chief justice KS Radhakrishnan and Justice Akil Kureshi directed additional principal sessions judge PB Desai to submit a report on the issue and deferred the hearing to April 6.
The prisoners had complained in the PIL that they were beaten up by jail staff, not given medical treatment, proper food, water and other amenities. However, Kumar said he had recorded statement of a prisoner, Akbar Rasul, who had admitted that he was never beaten up or abused by jail superintendent V Chandrashekhar. Rasul also said no one had complained about being assaulted by Chandrashekhar, the IG added. Kumar said two other inmates, Akbar Umedkan and Silvester, who claimed to have been beaten up, had denied it. About Louis, a Nigerian undertrial, Kumar said he had brought in certain articles which were not permissible and when attempts were made to stop him, he attacked police personnel after which an FIR was registered against him.
The IG also said inmates were being provided appropriate medical treatment.
He denied claims by Mansoodbhai Tank, who is suffering from HIV, that he was not given medical treatment and said he was being "periodically checked and given anti-retroviral treatment."
On other complaints, the official said inmates were not being given polluted water, inadequate food or inadequate sports facilities. He said only transparent plastic boxes were permitted inside the jail as prohibited items were found from metal tiffin boxes during security checks.
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