The ghastly act of thrashing of several Kashmiri political prisoners in Tihar jail that happened on the night of November 21 has raised an alarm over the possible threat to life to other Kashmiris lodged in the same or other jails outside JK. On some arguments between the prisoners and the search team, the beating up of at least 18 inmates of Tihar Jail’s High Risk wards brings home the point that there is cutter disregard of jail manual and the rights of prisoners. V. R. Krishna Iyer, referred to as a conscience keeper of justice in India, has rightly observed: “In our world prisons are still laboratories of torture, warehouses in which human commodities are sadistically kept and where spectrums of inmates range from drift-wood juveniles to heroic dissenters.” Even the Supreme Court has observed that “right to life is one of the basic human rights”. Even in jail, the detainee continues to enjoy all his fundamental rights including the right to life guaranteed to him under the Constitution. The attack raises serious concern about the miserable and inhuman treatment meted out to Kashmiri prisoners in outside JK jails. This shows there is no guarantee to the safety, security of the detainees who are reportedly also denied the proper healthcare. So, the need of the hour is to review and revise all jail manuals need and the existing legal structure of the prisons administration be changed. There should also be amendment to the criminal law with new Prisons Act be enacted. Authorities cannot turn blind eye to such dreadful acts that demean the dignity of a human being. We hope judiciary takes serious note of the matter and issue the required directions to authorities.
