Inmates at the Arthur Road prison have been wearing sandals since the past two months, instead of the usual shoes
Representational pic
Inmates at the Arthur Road prison have been wearing sandals since the past two months, instead of the usual shoes. This step has been taken by the Mumbai Central Prison authorities to curb shoe-related crimes. The city’s largest jail is infamous for fights and attacks among the inmates using blades and other sharp objects that the prisoners hide inside the sole of their shoes.
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Taking a note of these assault cases, the Arthur Road jail authorities came up with this solution. However, in the initial few weeks of its implementation, many inmates objected to the move since they felt the white-collared or influential under trials are exempted from this rule. They relented only when it was assured that all the prisoners are under the ambit of this rule.
“The move is intended to tighten the security checks during the prisoners’ entry. Only if the court allows, will a prisoner be allowed to wear shoes,” said Harshat Aherao, deputy superintendent of the Arthur Road jail. There is no specification about the type of sandal an inmate should wear and since their kin would give the footwear, it raises doubt as to whether this would curb the shoe-related crimes inside the jails successfully.
Shoe, the weapon carrier
June 2016: Gopal Shetty, in jail for an extortion case was being taken to JJ Hospital, when he was attacked by fellow inmate Salim Faizal Khan, at the behest of another inmate Papa Nayar. Shetty, who had sustained injuries on his forehead and right elbow, was attacked with a blade that was allegedly hidden in a shoe.
April 2013: Mehandi Kasim Shaikh alias Bengali Baba, a rape convict had stuffed notes amounting to Rs 2 lakh cash in the shoe cavity and stitched it from the sides.
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