The number of Covid-19 cases reported among inmates lodged across jails in Maharashtra crossed the 1,000-mark on Friday and now stands at 1,007, which include six deaths and 814 recoveries. As on Friday, 26,308 inmates were lodged across 45 jails in Maharashtra.
The six deaths were reported from Pune’s Yerawada Central Prison, Navi Mumbai’s Taloja Central jail and prisons in Dhule and Amravati.
Nagpur Central Prison has recorded the maximum number (219) of Covid-19 cases. Prison officials have, however, claimed that all the 219 inmates have recovered from the infection. Jail authorities at Nagpur prison have conducted 616 Covid-19 tests among its inmates.
Arthur Road jail, which is one of the most overcrowded prisons in the state, and houses several gangsters, terror suspects and high-profile economic offenders, reported 182 cases of Covid-19 among its inmates, while 46 jail officials also tested positive for the virus. The jail was also the first in Maharashtra where the case was detected, after a 45-year-old inmate tested positive on May 5 at Sir JJ Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for a paralytic attack.
Sangli and Akola district prisons have reported 145 and 99 Covid-19 cases, respectiveqnuka further added that prison-wise monitoring, both internally and externally, is very important. “This can be done through the board of visitors (BoV) or by forming a nodal committee in every prison, which can ensure the compliance of all the safety guidelines for the prisoners. The committee can monitor the effectiveness of the preparedness of the prison authority to ensure the effective response to Covid-19,” she added.
According to Dhanuka, many restrictions are imposed by the prison department, which undermine the rights of the inmates. The nodal authorities need to ensure that the rights of the prisoners are not unduly restricted or suppressed.
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