Other States - Orissa   

Innocents languish in jails

BHUBANESWAR: As many as 61 children have been languishing in different jails of Orissa for their no fault.

As per the information obtained under Right To Information Act, since these children were not capable of leading independent life outside jail, they were forced to stay with their mother, who had been imprisoned for different reasons.

The information sheet says while mothers of 57 children are under trial prisoners, mothers of four children have been convicted.

Seeking protection of these “unprivileged” children, human rights activist Biswapriya Kanungo has moved the Governor’s office demanding that cases of mothers who are lodged with their minor children should be reviewed.

“When State government has reviewed criminal cases involving political leaders as well as Left wing extremists, why cannot these mothers are given a respite? They are under-trial prisoners. As long as they are not proved guilty in the court of law, they will remain innocent,” Mr. Kanungo contended.

He said children were losing their childhood inside jails which were unhygienic, overcrowded and place of anti-socials and it was duty of the State to protect them.

The RTI information says over 15,000 persons have been lodged in 75 different jails against the total accommodating capacity of 12,639 inmates. While 4,254 persons including 115 women were found to be convicted by courts, 10,965 were under-trial prisoners. The problem has deteriorated to such an extent that some jails were providing space to prisoners three times more than their capacity. Bonaigarh Special Sub Jail in Sundargarh has a capacity to put up only 67 prisoners. Instead 309 inmates had been lodged in the jail. Similarly in Sundargarh District Jail 436 convicts and undertrials were staying against the capacity of 236. Chowdwar Circle Jail, which has been the biggest jail of State, houses 1,173 jailbirds against its capacity of 964. While Puri District Jail has a space to accommodate 385 inmates, over 500 prisoners could be found in the jail.

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