MUMBAI, June 12: More than a month after contract killer Phiroze Konkani slipped past his armed security during a visit to JJ Hospital, all the police have are two culpable policemen and a jail superintendent.The committee set up to investigate Konkani's escape on May 6, comprising Home Secretary G C Tripathi and Medical Education Secretary Thomas Benjamin, has failed to fix responsibility for the criminal's escape though it has made its perfunctory recommendations on the transport of undertrials from jails to government hospitals for treatment. The `system' again, has been held accountable.In its report, submitted to the government on June 10, the committee has recorded the statements of the doctors who were supposed to treat Konkani on May 6 and also the Thane jail as well as police officials responsible for his custody.It says criminals from Thane jail should not be brought to Mumbai for treatment, except in instances where the treatment is not available in Thane.If the undertrials stillinsist, it would then be incumbent on the police prosecutor to apprise the court that the treatment is available in Thane and that there is no need to concede the request.Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde had also asked Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Karun Shrivastava to visit Thane jail before setting up the two-member committee.The Konkani incident has now started a cold war between the prison and police officials. While the former feel the responsibility for the inmate's custody rests with the local police, the latter argue that the prison officials failed to effectively communicate with them that the criminal was being shifted out of the jail premises on that day.Munde, on different occasions, has blamed the criminal justice system and the Mumbai police for the incident.He says Konkani was brought to JJ Hospital on 18 occasions despite the treatment he sought being available in Thane. Later, at a function to present awards to senior police officials, Munde admitted that the criminal'sescape is a blot on the entire police administration.
