Around two dozen inmates at the high-security Bathinda Central Jail have gone on hunger strike in order to demand improved conditions according to the prison manual. 25 inmates, including a few gangsters and the accused in the Nabha Jail break case, have been on hunger strike since Friday, demanding an increase in the number of phone calls and minutes to their family and lawyers, the ability to go outside their barracks for walks, the smooth topping-up of their canteen cards, which is currently experiencing problems, and the installation of television in their barracks for entertainment. These convicts were on a hunger strike approximately a fortnight ago as well, but it was called off after assurances from jail officials. They resumed their walkout on Friday and intend to cease it if their demands are granted. A video of Jagir Singh, the father of gangster and convict Gurpreet Singh, has gone viral, in which he claims that he called his son and was told that the inmates had no facilities, although the Ferozepur jail has provided TVs.
According to a senior official from the state prisons department, the question of putting televisions in barracks is still being heard in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, since the jail prisoners have filed an appeal, and future action will be done based on the court’s judgment. He also stated that televisions cannot be installed in the barracks of gangsters or high-risk prisoners. Inmates’ hunger strikes are not new. In 2021, after being transferred to a high-security zone, 12 gangsters went on hunger strike in the same jail, citing poor food quality. According to a police spokesman, the case of installing television is still in court. However, a TV cannot be installed in jails, according to the jail manual, he added.
Post Your Comments