Peter Bleach leaves today, Alipore jail breathes easy

8216;8216;He is leaving for London tomorrow,8217;8217; West Bengal Home Secretary Amit Kiran Deb said today.

8216;8216;These eight years have not been easy,8217;8217; Bleach said yesterday. The statement is perhaps more true for Alipore Central Jail, having to cope with a 8216;8216;high-profile8217;8217; prisoner backed by the British Deputy High Commission.

Bleach was allowed a small radio with cassette player, which could play but not record. On January 31, when Jail Superintendent R.P. Bhattacharya walked up to Bleach8217;s cell with the release order, he was surprised. 8216;8216;I have got the news on the radio,8217;8217; Bleach told the super. 8216;8216;I will listen to music tonight,8217;8217; he added.

His 8216;8216;rigours8217;8217; amounted to fixing his meals on a cooking range. For the major part of the day, Bleach remained buried in law books or typed petitions to the court, the jail authorities and the British government.

8216;8216;As Bleach was a 8216;high-security risk8217; prisoner, we preferred to give him safe jobs. Like cooking his meals. In addition, I had requested him to look after the jail library for Rs 13 per day.8221;

The British Deputy High Commission has a complaint though. Legal hurdles prevented them from gifting Bleach a new suit before he left. 8216;8216;The y requested us to allow them to bring a tailor to the jail. We agreed,8217;8217; says Bhattacharya but the High Commission didn8217;t have its way this time.