A convict lodged in Purnea jail was burnt with cigarette butts and his private parts were wounded with blade. He was also beaten up brutally after he allegedly refused to pay Rs 5,000 as rangadri money demanded by the jail officials for stalling his transfer to another jail and for better facilities. The prisoner, Arun Das, who is has been languishing in jail since last one-and-a-half years after being convicted in a narcotics case, was presented before a local court where he showed his wounds. Burn marks were seen all over his body. First Class Judicial Magistrate Abdur Rehman took strong note of the matter and ordered an inquiry into the incident. On the directive of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Purnea jailor Mahesh Rajak and warden Afzal Khan— accused of brutally torturing Das—were suspended with immediate effect. The Chief Minister held a high-level meeting in the evening with the state Chief Secretary and thereafter, this action was announced by the state government. Narrating the incident, Das, a Dalit, charged that he was tortured for one week by the jailor and others since he could not arrange for Rs 5,000 demanded by prison officials for better facilities inside the overcrowded jail.“From January 7 to 13, I was not given food. After that I was beaten up by the jailor and my body was burnt all over with cigarette butts. They even attacked my private parts and wounded it with a blade”, Das narrated at the court appearance. Acting swiftly, Purnea District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Choudhary ordered the accused jailor and other staff not to enter jail premises. The victim was sent for medical examination. “Once the medical reports are received, the jail IG will be notified,” he said. Das’ torture has brought to light corruption in state prisons, all of which are packed way beyond capacity. According to sources, a group of convicted prisoners were to be transferred from Purnea to central jails in Bhagalpur and Buxar. Many prisoners did not want to be transferred since it would mean being removed from their home district. Prisoners, who were eager to stay back, were allegedly asked by the jail officials to pay Rs 5,000 each. Das, who had agreed to pay, said later that he had no money. This enraged the jail officials who decided to teach him a lesson. Due to overcrowding, prisoners in jails across Bihar have to struggle for basic necessities. While the dreaded ones manage using their muscle power, ordinary inmates have to grease the palms of jail officials for better facilities.Corruption in jails continues despite the drive launched by the State Vigilance Bureau against corrupt government officials. Some jailors were recently trapped by the bureau and were caught red-handed taking bribe.
