Ex-Maoist found dead in Hazaribagh open jail

Jail officials said that Dehri hailed from Dukhan Dehri village in Jharkhand’s Dumka district. He had been transferred from Central Jail Dumka and entered the ‘surrender prison’ on February 9, 2021. He was facing trial in eight pending criminal cases related to Naxal activities.

The incident came to light during the morning headcount when Dehri, who was lodged in Ward No. D, did not respond to calls from prison staff.

Jail Superintendent Jitendra Kumar told The Indian Express that the deceased was an unmarried man from Dumka district and had been living alone in one of the 100 cottages meant for surrendered Naxals. “Each inmate is given an individual unit that includes a room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. This isn’t a typical prison, but a rehabilitation facility for surrendered cadres.”

He had reportedly surrendered on April 22, 2020, after initially joining the banned outfit due to a land dispute in his village. “He joined the Naxal outfit hoping they would help resolve his land issue, but when that didn’t happen, he… surrendered,” Kumar said.

Officials said the inmate had shown no signs of mental illness during his stay.

“He wasn’t under any psychiatric care. Those with such issues are referred to Ranchi for treatment,” Kumar said.

However, another official said, “We don’t have a trained counsellor in this jail, and honestly, most prisons across the country don’t. There’s a serious staff crunch. Sometimes NGOs conduct small sessions, but nothing is regular or institutionalised.”

One fellow inmate also said that the deceased occasionally spoke of stress over unresolved land disputes.

Official information said no suicide incidents were reported in the Hazaribagh Open Jail in recent years.

However, in the last two to three months, four such cases have occurred in jails across the state. These were reported to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).