In a shocking revelation to an RTI query, Uttar Pradesh's state prison department has said that more than 2,050 prisoners have died in the state since 2010. On an average, one prisoner dies every 26 hours.
The RTI was filed by Human rights activist Naresh Paras who has now written to the Governor of UP and the PMO to take up the matter.
According to the response, 2,062 prisoners died between January 2010 to February 2016. Out of them, more than 50 percent were undertrials. As many as 44 prisoners committed suicide between 2010 and 2015 while around 24 died in police custody or allegedly got murdered.
“Will Better Facilities”
While speaking to TOI, Paras said, “Age and natural causes behind the death of prisoners is just another excuse to escape the reality. The situation inside UP prisons is pathetic. There is a major lack of medical treatment for inmates and poor infrastructure at prison clinics. The state government and prison authorities have no concern for prisoners' rights. The atmosphere inside the prisons provokes convicts to commit suicide. Protection of prisoners is the prime responsibility of prison authorities, yet murders and unnatural deaths in jails and police custody continue to take place on a frequent basis.”
According to Inspector general of police GL Meena, steps have been taken to provide the prisoners with better facilities and new prisons will be constructed to reduce overcrowding. Deaths due to old age and illness is, he added, are “inevitable” but “efforts will be made to control the number of unnatural deaths of convicts.”
(With inputs from Times of India)
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