Jailor Trying to Kill Me With Lethal Injection: Abu Salem

Mumbai: The war between underworld don Abu Salem and Superintendent of Taloja Jail Hiralal Jadhav has turned uglier. In his statement recorded on November 25 by the jail authorities, Salem has accused Jadhav of hatching a conspiracy to kill him by injecting poison into his body with the help of the medical officer posted inside Taloja Jail.

On August 14, in a 16-page affidavit submitted to the TADA court, the 40-year-old Salem, who is being tried for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, has said that the new Jail Superintendent Hiralal Jadhav has been finding innovative ways to torture him to ensure that he (Salem) either goes mad or commits suicide due to the pressure.

Following the application, the jail authorities conducted an inquiry into the allegations and the committee recorded Jadhav's statement in the matter. On November 25, an inquiry committee recorded Salem's statement. Salem has now come up with more serious allegations against the jailor.
 In his statement before the inquiry committee, Salem has stated that Jadhav and Dr Bansode (who is posted at Taloja Jail), have been planning to kill him inside the jail. Salem says that Jadhav and Dr Bansode were thinking of executing their plan by giving him medicines or injections or any other new method.

Salem claims that the information was leaked to Salem by two peons of Taloja Jail. Salem says that the peons even said that after killing him, Jadhav and Dr Bansode would conduct a post-mortem of Salem and then prepare a false report, indicating that the death was natural.

Salem had even alleged that Jadhav and Dr Bansode had demanded a total of Rs 3 lakh to allow him to visit the Lucknow court and Delhi court, and to hospital whenever needed. Jadhav and Dr Bansode also told Salem that the amount was minimal and that the gangster can easily arrange it.

The next day, Salem says that he told Dr Bansode that he won't give any money to him. Salem said that he would rather complain about the same to the court.

More allegations
Salem also said that Jadhav told him that he knows that his extradition period is over and he won't send him to Portugal, and would keep him in the same jail. In his statement, Salem said that Jadhav told him that he (Jadhav) knew Chota Shakeel very well.

Jadhav further told Salem, as stated in the statement, that he is an accused in the 1993 blasts and if he kills him, it wouldn't be counted as a crime. Salem also said that the two peons had suggested that Salem shift to Thane Jail, otherwise Jadhav would kill him or will make a false report against him.

Salem goes further and says that Jadhav has taken the signatures of a few prisoners, so that if anything happens, he will use it as a statement against him and present it in court. Jadhav also told Salem, alleges the statement, that after killing him he might be suspended for six months but after that he will be back in the same position as he has good contacts in Mantralaya.

IG Prisons Bipin Kumar Singh told mid-day, "An inquiry is on in this matter. Statements of those required in the matter are being recorded."