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Category: Prison conditions

Haryana Police Brutally Tortured Nearly 50% of Jail Inmates, Finds Survey

Haryana Police Brutally Tortured Nearly 50% of Jail Inmates, Finds Survey

Trigger warning: The article contains graphic descriptions of physical and sexual torture which might be triggering to survivors.

The Wire / by Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Electric shocks, bricks hung from private parts, threatened with rape, sexually assaulted, hung naked, hung upside down — these are some of the methods that Haryana Police has been undertaking in dealing with prisoners, both men and women, a study has revealed.
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As Bhima Koregaon case accused await bail hearings, families decry dehumanising jail conditions

As Bhima Koregaon case accused await bail hearings, families decry dehumanising jail conditions

Firstpost / by Meena Menon

‘Nyayadhin Bandi Kothdi,’ says a board tucked away in a secluded corner of the Sessions Court complex at Shivajinagar, Pune. That is where the under-trial prisoners who are produced in court are kept in transit from Yerwada Jail. Anxious relatives braved the rain on Thursday (27 June) to get a glimpse of their family members, but a thunderstorm put paid to that. Under-trial prisoners here are escorted to court, tied with thick rope, against Supreme Court rulings. However, the police are more careful with regard to the nine arrested in the high-profile Bhima Koregaon case where they seem to obey the law.
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Women prisoners recount Jail Horror Stories: Rape and torture common in jails

Women prisoners recount Jail Horror Stories: Rape and torture common in jails

Citizens for Justice and Peace / By Teesta Setalvad

Over the past 15 years, India’s jails have seen a rise in women inmates by 61 per cent, even though they constitute only 48.18% of the national population (according to the World Bank, 2017). Moreover, the Indian prison system has failed to respect their rights. From custodial torture, rape, denial of health services, lack of clean food and water and sheer ignorance on behalf of the state, women inmates languish amidst inhuman conditions in Indian jails.
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Resistance: Women demand better prison conditions

Resistance: Women demand better prison conditions

Business Standard / By Press Trust of India

Sukalo spent 45 days in jail sleeping on the bathroom floor but, she says, that was not the worst pain she endured in prison.
A member of the Gond tribe, largely found in central India, she had to eat food infested with insects, drink contaminated water and share space with other women she did not know.
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My book is a form of protest: Arun Ferreira

My book is a form of protest: Arun Ferreira

First published: Oct 5, 2014

National Confederations of Human Rights Organisations / By Kareena Gilani


Colours Of The Cage is an unsparing account of the nearly five years activist Arun Ferreira lost forever in Nagpur Central Jail after being accused of being a Naxalite. In May 2007, Ferreira was forced into a car by 15 men, beaten and blindfolded as he heard his abductors discussed the option of killing him off in an encounter. Till September 2011, Ferreira languished in prison while nine cases were slapped against him.
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Interview: Arun Ferreira: ‘The high walls keep out realities’

Interview: Arun Ferreira: ‘The high walls keep out realities’

First published: Jan 6, 2016

Frontline / By Frontline Staff

Arun Ferreira spent six years in Nagpur jail as a political prisoner. He was arrested in 2007 for alleged naxalite and anti-national activities under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Eleven cases were registered against him. He fought a relentless legal battle to prove that the charges were false and completely fabricated. In January 2014, he was acquitted in all the cases for lack of substantial evidence. At the time of his release, he told Frontline: “My case is really nothing special. The real issue is the way political prisoners are handled and the blatant violations of the human rights of all prisoners.”
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