Sambalpur: Remember the story of Jabir Sattar? The released prisoner, who was arrested for possessing only five bottles of cough syrup and resigned to his fate by staying in jail for over five years since 2019. Unfortunately, neither could he speak about his residential address due to mental health issues nor did anyone from his family come to meet him in all these years. Worse, the address mentioned in his charge sheet was found to be 'made up', purportedly by then investigating officer. Without a way out, he remains confined within the walls of shelter home Samartha, after being released on December 14, 2024.
The decision to move him to an asylum was taken by the Sambalpur district administration, the jail authorities, and the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).
Jabir’s plight began on July 16, 2019, when Dhanupali police arrested him on charges of selling cough syrup - five bottles - illegally under Section 274 and 275. Though he was granted bail, Jabir continued to remain in jail as his family members could not be contacted. Investigations later revealed that the police investigating the case had allegedly submitted a 'made up' address - 'Aghora, Thana - Sonu, District - Ranchi,' during his arrest, making it impossible to locate his family.
This was corroborated by Head, Sambalpur Legal Aid Defence Council Dusmant Behera. “The investigating officer submitted an incorrect address in the charge sheet. Had his actual address been provided, his family could have been contacted and Jabir would have been home,” he said.
Jabir's charge sheet was filed on August 20, 2019. Since he was unable to secure a bail as no family members came, he had to stay in jail and his mental state deteriorated. He was under treatment and as per the court's instructions, a medical report on his mental condition was submitted to the court every month. According to information received from a senior jail official, the report mentioned "condition stable but under medication."
Dr. Chittaranjan Mohapatra, a psychiatrist at the Sambalpur District Headquarters Hospital who treated him, said, “Jabir was not able to communicate properly. Whatever he spoke was a babble, he was not able to express in a language we understood. Although he was physically stable and cooperative, his mental condition did not show signs of improvement even with medication."