Prison authority dismisses inmate harassment claim

By our reporter
IMPHAL, July 20: Manipur Central Jail superintendent SK Bhadrika has refuted allegations against prison officials of harassing Myanmar prisoners at the Foreigners Detention Centre.
Speaking to the media at his office near the Manipur Central Jail complex today, the SP said that on June 27, The Wire published a news report with the headline ‘Myanmar refugees being abused in Indian jails despite serving their sentences and paying fines.’
According to the SP, the prison authorities are accused in the news of making prisoners from Myanmar pay a fine and of not providing them with sufficient drinking water and telephone facilities. The SP adds that the accusations are all unfounded.
SK Bhadrika added that Mani-pur Central Jail has its own water reservoir and water tanker and only purified water is provided to the prisoners. The prisoners are also provided with water for bathing and washing their clothes and blankets.
Even when there was a water shortage, they received water, the SP said.
The SP refuted the claim that prisoners from Myanmar do not have the possibility to contact their families or to make phone calls. According to him, the prison even offers prisoners the possibility to have audiovisual conversations.
The SP argued that prison authorities have no say in releasing prisoners, as the order must be given by a court. In addition, the SP argued that foreigners who have served their prison sentences or who are to be released by a court order should be deported under the Foreigners Act of 1946.
However, deportation takes a long time because the central government is also involved in the process.
He also made it clear that there is no question of prison authorities imposing fines on prisoners from the neighbouring country upon their release.
According to him, the prisoners may have spent money on hiring a lawyer, but the prison authorities did not take any money from them.
Continuing that some prisoners recently staged a protest at the prison compound, the SP added that what they (the prisoners) were demanding was to release them and that it had nothing to do with the facilities given to them. Further stating that many of the prisoners withdrew from the protest after he himself informed them about the security concern, the SP added that it was only prisoners from Myanmar who were continuing the protest.
The prisoners from Myanmar demanded their release in Moreh or Churachandpur or Mizoram, the SP said, adding that they however have no power over the issue. To a question, he said that currently there are 99 prisoners in the Sajiwa detention centre, of which 97 are from Myanmar and one each from Egypt and Bangladesh.