Nine Haryana jails jampacked; Rewari filled four times its capacity

The district jail in Rewari houses inmates four times its capacity, making it the most overcrowded jail in Haryana. A recent report by the prisons department revealed that it has 130 inmates against its capacity of 30.

Overcrowding in Indian jails has often become a problem for both authorities and inmates, with Supreme Court describing the problem as “not only tragic but pathetic.” Government data of the last five years says more than 30 inmates have died unnatural deaths in Haryana’s prisons, though not all can directly be attributed to overcrowding.

Nonetheless, in Haryana, the overall situation is much better as compared to other states. The statistics reveal that total occupancy rate in 19 jails of the state is 98%, yet nine prisons have more inmates than their capacity.

These include prisons in Narnaul, Rewari, Kurukshetra, Rohtak, Jind, Sonepat, Panipat, Sirsa and Bhiwani, where 6,000 inmates are locked up against a capacity of 4,700.

In the Rewari jail, more than 100 inmates are holed up in one barrack alone. Jail superintendent Surinder Dalal said officials usually try to transfer inmates to other jails, “but local prisoners request the courts to remain in their home district if they are expected to get bail soon”.

In the Narnaul jail, which houses hardcore criminals, 500 inmates are locked up against a capacity of 350. The authorities there complain of problems in management of resources. “The extra prisoners have to sleep on the floor. Since this area in southern Haryana already has problem of water shortage, having extra prisoners increases our problem in arranging basic facilities for them,” said Vijendra Gaur, deputy superintendent of the jail.