Chennai: When former DIG (prisons) of Karnataka accused AIADMK (Amma) general secretary V.K. Sasikala of getting special treatment in prison, one of her contentions was Sasikala enjoying a whole corridor and five rooms.
This is the case when overcrowding has been a perennial issue in Indian jails.
Of 1,401 jails in the country, 149 jails have an overcrowding rate of more than 200 per cent, Union minister Hansraj Gangram Ahir said on Tuesday in the Lok Sabha quoting recent statistics.
Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha where Naxal activity is high alone constitute 52 of them. “Overcrowding results in poor hygiene, lack of sleep etc. Keeping in view the human rights of prisoners, it is essential that they are given reasonable space and facilities,” the Prison Statistics Indian 2015 said.
Serving police officers and retired officials too say the same. “The conditions to live becomes sub-human and it is also a reason for clashes among inmates and jail authorities in the absence of adequate prison staff,” an official of the state prison department said.
MLA R. Natraj, a retired DGP who also headed the prisons department in the state, feels that prisons, as such is a neglected department by governments. “When we set out to create a crime free society, it doesn’t end with arresting and lodging criminals in jails. Managing prisons is also an important,” he said.
According to Prison Statistics India 2015 report, more than two third inmates in Indian prisons are undertrials - almost 67 per cent. This is one of the major reasons for overcrowding, say jail authorities. “For one, chargesheets are not laid in time by police. In some cases, the undertrials do not have the wherewithal to avail bail or the personal bond or surety,” Natraj said adding, “In some cases, the time served by the prisoner would be more than the sentence given.” He feels that a lot is being spoken about prison reforms, but there is very little being done.
