Devil’s Advocate continues ………….

Readers may further like to know a bit about the hierarchical structure of the jail staff. Under the director general, who heads the prisons department, a deputy inspector general of prisons serves as the second in command. Under them, a superintendent heads the administration of a jail. A deputy superintendent, assistant superintendents and head wardens followed by jail wardens assist the jail superintendent.

A couple of days after taking over, I decided to pay a visit to all the jails in the Tihar complex. The visit began from jail number two, where convicts sentenced to imprisonment for ten years or more were lodged. I must confess that before I stepped in, I was full of trepidation. Was I walking into hell on earth? How would the inmates react on seeing me? Would I be booed or jeered at by them? All manner of fears haunted me.

Escorted by jail staff, I entered jail number two and the sight I beheld was in sharp contrast to what I was expecting. The sprawling campus was a vast space of lush green lawns with squeaky-clean pathways flanked by tall trees. To my right, soon after the entry point, was a flour mill where wheat was being crushed to make flour.

The staff led me in and I stood there for a few minutes to observe the proceedings. Convicts, all dressed in their immaculate white uniforms, were running the unit in unison. They greeted me respectfully and then went about doing their jobs as the crushing machine was operational and could not be left unattended. Each inmate was engrossed in his work, and if at all they spoke to one another, it was in low, hushed whispers.

As I stepped out, the only sound one could clearly hear in the campus was the song of birds chirping in the background. I walked on and was ushered into the garment-making section of the prison. Mannequins stood outside the section dressed in outfits designed and stitched by inmates who worked with devotion on their machines or handlooms.


To be Continued ………….