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 | | Hell: The placid exterior of the Tihar jail is a far cry from the turmoil inside | A prisoner in jail has the most horrible time, harassed by jail authorities and intimidated by other inmates.
According to an undertrial, who refuses to be identified as he fears for his life, jail authorities charge exorbitant amount of money for providing the most basic amenities to the inmates.
Besides, an inmate who is not ‘powerful’ enough has to pay survival money to dons for protection.
An undertrial recently told MiD DAY that he was attacked last week for not paying the money demanded by extortionists operating in the jail.
“You have to pay extortion money. If you don't pay, your life becomes worse than hell. In any case, a jail is not supposed to be a good place. But if you don't pay, every minute becomes difficult to live,” the inmate said.
Ironically, the inmate refuses to blame the authorities for the extortion racket inside the Tihar jail.
“If they get even a hint that I have revealed something, you don't know what they can do.
We pay extortion money only to some pointsmen. Where the money goes, I cannot reveal the names,” the inmate added.
One of his relatives further admitted that his family is paying lakhs per month to the jail authorities just to assure that the undertrial is kept away from the hardened criminals and extortionists.
“He is like an ATM machine for the prison staff. We have to pay everyone right from the entry point onwards,” said the relative.
A few months ago, the family was asked to bring a new mobile phone by one of the doctors in the jail for treating the undertrial. Besides, demands for other gifts like fancy gadgets, shoes, clothes and watches never stop coming from the jail officals.
Family members further alleged that the jail officials themselves leak the guy's whereabouts to the extortionists operating in the jail so that the threat level remains the same.
“My location is changed frequently but even then the extortionists manage to reach me. I could become another victim anytime,” said the undertrial.
According to lawyer M S Khan, though undertrials are always kept under tight security, gangs operating in the jail manage to send some kind of threat to them.
"We are afraid that the jail staff may try to sabotage some bail applications. It would be a big monetary loss to them if undertrials leave Tihar," said a source.
A number of steps were taken under the then IG (prisons) Kiran Bedi to improve conditions inside the jail. However, only inmates know the truth.
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