Condemning use of force against jail inmates, J&K High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Srinagar, Saturday said that “asking prisoners to shift from old barracks to new ones during night hours is not permissible under law.”
HCBA general secretary Muhammad Ashraf said that HCBA hasdecided to take up the matter before High Court. He said under jail laws everyprisoner has a right to human dignity and non-deprivation of his fundamentalrights. He said jail inmates have to be provided adequate diet, health,medicare, clean and hygienic conditions and proper clothing, bedding andequipment by authorities.
“There is however no law which provides that after sunsetthe prisoners should be marched out of their barracks for shifting to any otherplace or subjecting them to any ill treatment. Asking the prisoners to shiftfrom old barracks to the new ones at around 9 pm on Thursday was not thereforepermissible under law,” he maintained.
As reported earlier, two inmates were injured in overnightclashes that rocked the Srinagar Central Jail after some prisoners objected totheir shifting from old barracks to the new ones. The government has ordered aprobe into the incident.
“It is however unfortunate that authorities of CentralJail, had asked the inmates to shift at 9 pm which reportedly lead to analtercation. HCBA believes that the story of shifting of inmates from old tonew barracks is sought to be brought out by the jail authorities now, is nottrue but only a cover to hide the reality,” he said.
“Jail authorities have all along been for the shifting of the Kashmiri detenues and under-trial prisoners from Srinagar Central Jail to outside jails. HCBA strongly condemns the use of force against the inmates. We have decided to take up the matter before the High Court, where a PIL, with regard to the providing of better facilities to the prisoners lodged in the jails, both inside and outside the valley, is pending consideration.
We will demand appropriate action against those who have taken law in their own hands and have beaten, ill-treated and tortured the inmates of Central Jail, Srinagar, without any authority of law,” he added.