Sambalpur: Remember the story of Jabir Sattar? The released prisoner, who who was arrested for possessing only five bottles of cough syrup and resigned to his fate by staying in jail for over six years since 2019. Unfortunate as he was, 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 fake, purportedly put on the papers by then investigating officer. Without any 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 prior to his release. Investigations later revealed that the police had allegedly submitted a faulty 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, who said, “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.”
His 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."
In the grip of mental instability, Jabir’s health deteriorated in the jail. 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 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."
Meanwhile, a fellow prison inmate from Bargarh district, who felt strongly about Jabir, came forward to arrange a bail surety for him. But other than a shelter home, there was no place where Jabir could be housed.
A senior officer of Sambalpur Circle Jail, on condition of anonymity, said, “Attempts to reach Jabir’s family with the help of local police failed. Our team members went specifically to areas which were Muslim-dominated. Unfortunately, the address turned out to be fictitious.”
The jail authorities had also tried to establish communication through wireless and letter at the address mentioned in the charge sheet since December 2023, but the letter came back undelivered. The DG Prisons sent two officers - Assistant Jailor Digambar Adha of Sambalpur Jail and Dilip Kumar Matha of Wada - to Ranchi, Jharkhand on December 8, 2024 to locate Jabir's address. They were accompanied by two local police officers to locate the address but to no avail. The SSP office in Ranchi sent a letter stating that no such address was found and in case the address is located, they will inform the concerned jail immediately.
Jabir was finally released on December 14, 2024 and given his health condition, sent to Samartha, a shelter for the mentally-ill.
“The system must work together to address such issues. If proper procedures were followed from the beginning, Jabir’s case would not have reached this stage,” said Dusmant Behera.
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