Burail jailbreak case: Before final arguments, witness turns up, demands he be heard

Mishra told the court that he could not depose earlier as he had been receiving threats.

In his deposition, Mishra said he had informed the jail authorities about the plan of some inmates to dig a tunnel and escape, but no preventive action was taken.

“During the last few months of the year 2003, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara spoke to other inmates Subeg Singh, Nand Singh and Sher Singh regarding digging a tunnel in their barrack,” Mishra said.

He said he informed jail official Nishan Singh, ASP P S Rana and Superintendent D S main silent and do his own work”. A few days later, he was summoned by D S Rana who asked him why Hawara was complaining about him and his work. Mishra was then transferred from the Gurdwara barrack to do langar duty. His statement regarding his allegations was recorded a few days before the escape of inmates.

Talking to Newsline, Mishra said, “I had received a summons from the court of April 22, 2013, but the case was deferred. Following this, I did not receive any summons. I read in the papers that all prosecution witnesses had been examined but I did not receive any summons again. So I consulted some experts and moved an application to depose in the court today.”

After his statement was recorded, the court deferred the case for his cross-examination. Following this, the counsel for the state, J P Singh, requested the court for providing him with security. “I refused the security but the court and my advocate insisted that I get the security cover,” said Mishra.

One of the defence counsel Terminder Singh said, “We have no objection in the accused being examined. We will be preparing for the cross-examination which will bring forth the fact that this witness is nothing but a bundle of lies. We will also be moving an application seeking the duty register of the jail at the time when Mishra claims that he had informed his seniors.”

Four persons had made a sensational escape from the high-security barrack of the Burail jail in January 2004 by digging a 104-foot tunnel from the barrack with bare hands. Those who escaped were Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara, assassins of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, and fellow inmate Devi Singh.

‘He is lying’

P S Rana, former ASP of prisons who is one of the accused in the case, said, “The man (Mishra) is lying. He never told me anything. He should look me in the eyes and say it.”