Bhubaneswar: Two senior jail officials have filed FIRs against one another, accusing each other of misconduct and negligence that allegedly enabled two murder accused to escape from Choudwar circle jail in Cuttack on Oct 2, 2025.Jail’s senior superintendent Sujit Kumar Raula and former jailer Santoshini Dash filed FIRs against each other, leaving the prisons directorate red-faced.The fugitives — Raja Sahani and Madhukanta Kumar, both from Bihar — scaled the high-security prison walls during Durga Puja festivities inside the jail. Despite an ongoing manhunt, they continue to remain at large.Following the escape, two warders were suspended and Dash, who was then serving as jailer at Choudwar prison, was transferred to Kantabanji sub-jail in Balangir district, and a probe ordered.On Saturday, Dash lodged a complaint at Choudwar police station accusing Raula of framing her. She alleged Raula was absent without authorisation on the night of the escape and later manipulated official records (gate in-out register) to show his presence. Dash further claimed he forged her signature in the minute book to shift blame.“This act was done with an ulterior motive to fabricate evidence, mislead authorities and falsely implicate me while shielding himself in the jailbreak case,” her FIR stated.Raula responded with his own complaint on Sunday, accusing Dash of dereliction of duty and indirectly facilitating the escape. He claimed Dash was responsible for overall jail security and allowed the two inmates to step out of their cells twice without his permission. “CCTV footage shows she failed to escort them to the puja pandal, reflecting gross negligence. She did not take my permission to take the two inmates out of their cells,” Raula’s FIR stated.Raula also accused Dash of multiple violations, including assaulting prisoners, misappropriating canteen funds, and failing to maintain discipline during office hours. Both officials also dismissed each other’s allegations as baseless.Police registered cases on both complaints. “We are verifying their charges,” said DCP Rishikesh Khilari.The prisons directorate said an internal inquiry into the jailbreak is underway. “We are aware of the two FIRs involving our officials. Police will investigate,” a senior prisons official said.
