Terror accused lodged in Jaipur jail say officials rejected their request for a community prayer and beat them up. Two cops suspended.
Terror accused lodged in Jaipur jail say officials rejected their request for a community prayer and beat them up. Two cops suspended.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar could draw inspiration from this incident for his next movie Jail.
It occurred in Jaipur Central Jail on September 21, when about 15 accused terrorists, lodged in connection with last year's serial blasts across the country, approached the jail authorities to let them pray with other Muslim inmates on Eid.u00a0
Reportedly, the cops denied the plea and when the inmates sat on a dharna, they were beaten up by jail guards.
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"The inmates wanted to offer namaz with fellow Muslims. It was a simple request but the jail staff abused them for it. The inmates sat on a dharna to protest but the guards beat them up," said Mohammad Asim, the uncle of one of the inmates, Mohammad Saravar.
Asim, a native of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, met his nephew two days after Eid and was shocked when Saravar and other inmates narrated the incident. "It's the worst form of human rights violation. Unfortunately, it has been happening for a long time in Jaipur jail. My nephew was picked up by the Rajasthan police as they suspected his role in last year's serial blasts in the country, including in Jaipur," said Asim.
He alleged the inmates are abused and beaten by the jail staff on petty pretexts and extra precaution is taken by the jail administration to keep the incidents under wraps. "There are at least 15 young terror accused in the Jaipur Central Jail. They are allowed to meet their families only once in 15 days, that too under heavy police presence," said Asim.
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Reportedly, the cops deny the plea and beat them up when they sit on a dharna. illustrations/Satish Acharya |
Cops in a corner?
Reportedly, the Rajasthan police tried to keep the matter under wraps for almost a week but sprung into action following an order from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) to probe the incident.
"On September 25, an FIR was filed by the family of one of the accused terrorists and we have ordered a departmental enquiry. We have suspended Deputy Jailer Ashok Gaud along with a constable in whose presence the incident took place," said Rajasthan's Minister of Social Justice, Empowerment and Jails Ramkishore Saini.
However, the minister ruled out the communal twist. "We promise a fair enquiry. It was an unfortunate incident and will never be repeated. We are also looking into other allegations against jail authorities. But I don't think there is any religious discrimination or branding," Saini said.
Angry families
But Asim and families of inmates differ. "The young men are never allowed to meet other prisoners and are referred to as atankwaadis by the jail staff.u00a0 These are innocent youngsters who have nothing to do with terrorism. We don't want any communal strife but the jail authorities are torturing our kids," Asim said.
The incident has attracted the attention of social activists. "We request the jail administration not to discriminate against these inmates on basis of their religion. We believe in the country's legal system," said Dr Zakir Hussein from Azamgarh, who runs an NGO that helps terror accused get a fair trial.
Cops quote the law
Meanwhile, cops in the Jaipur jail said it's all about the law when MiD DAY contacted them.
"Whatever these accused terrorists do or say becomes news. There is an established system under which terror accused are kept away from regular prisoners. They are not accepted by others and there is a huge security consideration as well," said a senior jail official, wishing anonymity.
The Other Side
Director General of Police, Rajasthan, Umendra Bhardwaj said, "We have taken action in the case. While two jail officials have been suspended, an enquiry is on as well. The allegations of religious discrimination are being looked into."
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