Bangladeshis, Nigerians top the list of foreign prisoners in Maha jails
| Date :07-Jul-2023 |
Kartik Lokhande
As many as 637 foreign nationals are lodged in various jails of Maharashtra. Of them, around one-third, that is, 200 are from Bangladesh alone. Nigerians and Nepalese are second and third in terms of number of prisoners in Maharashtra jails. As per the statistics as on May 31, 2023, there are total 637 foreign nationals lodged in various jails in Maharashtra. Of them, 32 are convicts and as many as 605 are undertrials. Among the foreign prisoners in Maharashtra, 523 are males and 114 are females. Most of the foreign prisoners are lodged in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and other major cities. Maharashtra has nine Central Prisons, 31 District Prisons, 19 Open Prisons, 1 Open colony and 172 Sub-Jails. There are two separate pisons for women, at Pune and Mumbai. There are two Open prisons for women, at Pune and Akola.
As per the data with the Maharashtra Prisons and Correctional Services Department, the highest number of foreign prisoners in Maharashtra are from Bangladesh (200), followed by Nigeria (197), Nepal (103). These are followed by other countries like Uganda (14 prisoners), Pakistan and Brazil (12 each), Tanzania (nine), South Africa and Bolivia (eight); Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Kenya (six each); Ghana and Ivory Coast (five each); United Kingdom, Angola, Congo, Iran, Malawi, and Zambia (three each), and others. Among the 32 convicts, 29 are men and three are women. Of the total number of foreign prisonerrs convicted for various crimes, the highest 11 are from Bangladesh, followed by 10 from Nepal, and two each from Nigeria, Pakistan, and Colombia. Of 605 undertrial foreign prisoners, 494 are men and 111 are women. Of these undertrials, the highest 195 are from Nigeria, followed by 189 from Bangladesh, 93 from Nepal, 14 from Uganda, 10 from Pakistan, eight each from Tanzania and South Africa.
This data came to fore as Maharashtra Prisons and Correctional Services Department has extended the facility of video-calling to family or relatives from prisons, to the foreign prisoners. Already, the facility was made available to other prisoners. Amitabh Gupta, Additional Director General of Police and Inspector General Prisons & Correctional Services, Maharashtra, has issued a circular on July 4 regarding the extension of the said facility through ePrisons System to all the foreign prisoners except Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and those facing terrorism charges. Accordingly, he has instructed the in-charges of various prisons across the State.
As the relatives or lawyers of the foreign prisoners cannot come to meet and interview (the prisoners) in person, it becomes difficult for such prisoners to get legal help to secure release from prison. This leads to depression among the foreign prisoners, and the prison administration concerned has to keep a close watch on them. Hence, the department has taken the decision to extend video-calling facility to foreign prisoners, to help them get legal aid faster and get out of jail sooner. This will help reduce overcrowding in prisons to a small extent, felt the department.