Kin of inmates slated to walk out of state prisons at mercy of elements

It’s been over 16 hours and 74-year-old Naseem (name changed) from Saharanpur stands quietly outside the Nabha jail waiting for the release of his son, who has been acquitted in a case. There are no basic amenities such as clean drinking water and toilets for hundreds of people like him waiting for the release of their near and dear ones from Punjab prisons.

When an inmate is released from a jail, the family is intimated in advance. In a majority of cases, the release is, however, held up for one reason or the other, resulting in chaos and inordinate delays, sometimes for over 20 hours at a stretch.

“We came all the way from Himachal Pradesh to take our father home after he had spent almost six years in jail. He had informed us about the release date and we reached here at 7 am today. It is already 9 pm and there is still no sight of him. We have no clue if he would walk out a free man tonight or not,” said the Sharma family waiting outside the Ludhiana jail.

Against a capacity of around 26,000 inmates, Punjab has about 30,000 persons lodged in 26 prisons — nine Central jails, 10 district jails and seven sub-jails.

Hours of wait outside jail

Against a capacity of around 26,000 inmates, Punjab has about 30,000 persons lodged in 26 prisons — nine Central jails, 10 district jails and seven sub-jails.

Hundreds of inmates are released from state prisons on various grounds every day. There is no specific time given for the release of inmates, putting their relatives waiting outside at receiving end.

Those coming to receive their relative or associate being released from jail have to wait outside the main entrance, often for hours.

Officials say they have to follow the legal procedure.

There is no shelter to protect those waiting outside the jail from rain, scorching sun in summers or the biting cold wave.

Those coming to receive their relative or associate being released from jail have to wait outside the main entrance, often for hours.

“Sometimes they have to sleep on footpath outside the jail gates in case they are poor. There are no arrangements for any visitor nor any facility to inform them about the tentative time of release,” said a jail official.

Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that with no specific time given to the relatives for the release of inmate, they keep standing outside the jail. There is no shelter to protect them from rain, scorching sun in summers or the biting cold wave. Hundreds of inmates are released from state prisons on various grounds every day.

“There is no facility at all, not even a washroom. I have been standing here since 8.30 am and it is already 10 pm. My 16-year-old daughter missed her school to meet her father and to take him home after he spent four years in jail in an NDPS case,” a 46-year old woman told The Tribune team outside the Central Jail Patiala.

Senior jail officials said there was not much they could do about it as the legal procedure in every release had to be followed and due to lack of infrastructure and shortage of staff, the release process got delayed.

When contacted for a comment, Jails Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said he would discuss the matter with the senior jail officials to “ensure that the release of inmates is done smoothly” and in a time-bound manner so that their relatives do not have to suffer. “Though no arrangements can be made for them inside the jails, timely intimation on the registered phone number can be done to make things easier for them,” he said.