Death row convict accuses prison official of fathering her child

Death row convict accuses prison official of fathering her child
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

KORAPUT (ORISSA), MAR 29: A death row convict in Orissa has accused a senior jail official of fathering a child born in captivity, and subsequently retracted the charge. The inmate, Kolpana Majumdar, who recently delivered a baby, was shifted to Sambalpur jail from Koraput after she accused a jail official of sexual harassment, said sources.

The state home department had decided to conduct an inquiry after she petitioned the district magistrate, but her subsequent denial has left authorities baffled. A DNA test on Kolpana and her baby son has already been ordered to establish the child's paternity.

Kolpana was awarded a death sentence along with three other co-accused for committing a child sacrifice in Malkangiri last year. Her pregnancy was detected in jail.

There were reports that she had married a person from Malkangiri district, who was the father of her newborn. However, Kolpana petitioned the district magistrate, accusing a jail official of sexual harassment and naming him as the father of her child.

However, Kolpana has reportedly changed her stance now. She told Koraput Jail officials that she was married before being taken into jail custody and that her husband is the father of the baby, said sources. She denied that she had sent a petition to the district magistrate against the jail official.

Her denial has raised doubts about the veracity of the petition in which she levelled charges against the jail official. Sources said the petition may have been filed at the instigation of some subordinate jail staff to tarnish the image of the concerned jail official as he had unearthed irregularities in cash transactions and distribution of food stuff for inmates.

Vested interests had therefore tried to put the official in the dock through the Kolpana case, sources added. The jailer and jail superintendent are supposed to have met the district collector in connection with the Kolpana episode.