KOLKATA: Judicial officials visited some jails in the state on Thursday for a dialogue with agitating undertrial prisoners, about 1,500 of whom are on hunger strike, demanding immediate release for prolonged detention without trial.
Many of them have been in jail longer than the term they can be sentenced for if found guilty of the offences they are charged with. Even law minister Moloy Ghatak had been to Alipore jail to discuss the matter with the agitating undertrials.
The hunger strike is on in Alipore, Presidency, Dum Dum and Midnapore jails. About 30 agitating inmates have fallen sick. Already, about a dozen of them had been admitted to jail hospitals.
"Six of them had been sent to state hospitals as their conditions are critical," said ADG (prisons) Ranveer Kumar. He said that attempts are on to convince prisoners to give up their hunger strike but nothing emerged to resolve the issue. Kumar is holding almost daily talks with under-trials.
On Thursday, a meeting was held by jail minister Shankar Chakraborty with the under-trials. Kumar and home secretary GD Gautama were also present.
Dipankar Mukherjee, an advocate, said, undertrials prisoners have a right to get bail.
"Many of the undertrials have crossed the period of punishment if they were proved guilty of the charges against them. But many of the undertrials are not being produced in court in due time." Mukherjee wanted that the high court should appoint a special officer who should visit the jails regularly and arrange for proper representation of the under trials in courts.
Bail applications of under-trials are processed by the jail department and sent to courts.
The undertrials had also written to the chief minister and state human rights commission about their grievances.
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