B'luru jail prisoners case: NHRC notice to K'taka police chief

Asserting that a prisoner is "not a slave of the State", the NHRC has issued notices to the Karnataka police chief and prison authorities over allegations of 32 prisoners at the Bangalore Central Jail being severely beaten up and meted out inhuman treatment.
The prisoners were allegedly thrashed as they had staged a protest inside the Parappana Agrahara central jail premises after they were not allowed to speak to D Roopa, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Prisons, Bangalore, during her visit to the jail, the rights panel said today.
Incidentally, Roopa had recently brought out "certain grave irregularities", going on inside the Bangalore Central Jail, including, provision of special and sophisticated kitchen to one of the prisoners, AIADMK (Amma) leader V K Sasikala, and VIP treatment to another prisoner, Abdul Karim Lala Telgi.

According to a complaint filed yesterday by Shobha Karandlaje, a Lok Sabha member, the prisoners were beaten black and blue and shifted over night in the injured condition to various other prisons at Mysore, Bellary, Belagavi and Davanagere, and the family members of these prisoners were not able to meet them.
The National Human Rights Commission has taken cognisance of the complaint and issued notices to the Director General of Police and IG (Prisons) in Karnataka.
It has also sought a detailed report within four weeks, on the allegations, along with the present locations and state of health of the prisoners of the Bangalore jail, who were injured or shifted.

The Commission has observed that the allegations regarding physical torture of the prisoners and their overnight transfer to other jails, in an injured condition, if true, raise serious issue of violation of their right to life and dignity.

"It need not be restated that a prisoner is not a slave of the State and is not denude of all his fundamental rights, while in judicial custody," the NHRC said in a statement.
"The 32 prisoners were allegedly shifted in a hasty manner in order to avoid any disclosure to the enquiry officer, who was expected to visit the Parappana Agrahara jail on Monday (July 17).

"The alleged comment of the Superintendent of Bangalore Jail has also been described as specious that as per jail manual, dharna is not allowed, hence, the prisoners have been punished by shifting to other jails," the rights panel said.