Guwahati Central Jail: Inmates on bail paint a gloomy picture

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Two persons, who got bail after their 15-day stay in jail, have questioned if it is 'Guwahati Central Jail' or a hellhole.

Addressing the media at Guwahati Press Club on Thursday, Sangrami-Krishak Shramik Sangha general secretary Dinesh Das and Nikhil Bharat Krishak Sabha's Assam unit assistant secretary Jayanta Gogoi alleged that the condition of Guwahati Central Jail in very pathetic as though the inmate are living in a "hellhole".

Citing the provisions as spelt out in Chapter III of the Assam Prisons Act, 2013, Dinesh Das said, "An inmate has to get human dignity; diet, health and medical care; clean hygienic living conditions and proper clothing, etc. However, none of these is found in Guwahati Central Jail. Forty to forty-five inmates are made to live in a ward of 300-400 square ft that can accommodate only 15-20.

"An inmate is given three old and torn blankets, a torn mosquito curtain and an aluminium plate. Since no cot is given to the inmates, they have to sleep on the floor. To get rid of the chilling cold from the ground, two of the three blankets have to be used as mattress. And the inmate has to wear only one blanket. Since the wards have only iron bars on the doors, the cool bridge keep the inmates shaking at night.

"The food supplied is of very poor quality. The breakfast at 7 am comprises a very thin chapatti and a cup of tea. Rice is served at 11 am. The dal (pulses) served can be called as 'dal-water'. The vegetables served are not worth eating. The rice is served at 5 pm. During the 14 hours till 7 am the next day the inmates have to stay without anything to eat. Water is a scare even for drinking, let alone for bathing.''

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