End of an era as Alipore Central jail closes down

The 109-year-old high security Alipore Central Correctional home in the city officially closed down Wednesday due to security purpose after all its inmates being shifted to other correctional homes.

It's an end of an era for Kolkata, as the jail had as its prisoners at various times freedom fighters and leaders like Sri Aurobindo, his brother Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sarat Ch Bose, K Kamraj and Bidhan Chandra Roy during the Independence movement.

"We decided to close the prison due to security purposes. The condition of this 100 year old prison is not good. Besides, you will hardly find any modern prision in middle of a city. So we decided to move to the newly built Baruipur prison," Correctional Homes Minister Ujjal Biswas told PTI.

The height of the Alipore Central jails walls are 6.5 metres, while those at the Baruipur jail are a metre higher. The Alipore Central jail can accomodate 1800 convicts but Baruipur jail can accomodate 2200 convicts, the minister said.

A total of 1600 convicts have been shifted to the almost 17 acre Baruipur prison, which includes both convicts and under trials, he said.

"Though the Alipore prison is now officially closed down, the Alipore Jail Press is still there. We will move it very soon," Biswas said.

Ex-Chief Ministers Prafulla Chandra Sen and Jyoti Basu and Naxalite leader Charu Majumdar was also jailed in this prison, which is located in the heart of upscale Alipore area near the National Library and the Alipore Zoo.

Those executed include freedom fighters Kanailal Dutta, Satyendra Nath Bose, Charu Charan Bose, Birendra Nath Dutta Gupta and Gopi Mohan Saha.