One RTI says there is no rule for solitary confinement and no prisoner under it and another RTI confirms that Zabiuddin Ansari is under solitary confinement
By A Mirsab and Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: In a startling revelation it has emerged that prison authority accepted there is no rule or procedure for subjecting any prisoner to solitary confinement but still put prisoners under this inhuman condition without access to sunlight and fresh air.
Zabiuddin Ansari, 35 and an accused for 26/11 terrorist attack is lodged in Mumbai Central Prison under solitary confinement since last 33 months and after finding no relief from various courts he has gone on hunger strike from August 5, 2015.
The exposure has come from a reply received by Ansari to his RTI query from the jail authority itself that agrees there is no rule for lodging any prisoner to solitary confinement and it also agrees that due to absence of such rule no prisoner is subjected to it in Mumbai Central Prison.
Interestingly, a letter obtained by Ansari under another RTI application from Deputy Inspector General (DIG) prisons, Byculla Mumbai accepts that he is kept under Solitary confinement.
The copies of RTI application and reply received from prison, copies of which is with TwoCircles.net exposes Mumbai Central Prison’s arbitrariness in subjecting Ansari to solitary confinement, a punishment before conviction as alleged by his lawyer Asif Naqvi.
Speaking with TwoCircles.net, Adv Asif Naqvi said, “He (Ansari) is very frustrated as the jail itself agrees that there is no rule yet he is kept without any human touch and fresh air since 33 months. He is also not finding any relief from court which compelled him to observe hunger strike”.
Ansari met Naqvi in a MCOC court established inside prison on Wednesday when he was brought to record his statement in penultimate proceedings of Aurangabad arms haul trial. During this meeting Ansari handed over all documents including copies of RTI answers he received from various government departments regarding his solitary confinement.
He has lost 14 Kgs, Naqvi said adding, ”He (Ansari) told me that he is being regularly taken for routine medical checkup and was asked to get feeding from tubes to which he declined”.
“I will die like this”, Naqvi said he was told by Ansari if he is not removed from that barrack. “He has also sent a letter through prison to Special Judge GA Sanap who is hearing 26/11 case and he has mentioned in it that if he dies inside prison then jail authority will be solely responsible for his death”.
When asked what has been court’s response to this revelation, Naqvi said that “Court asked jail authority clarification on this to which they said they have mistakenly wrote that Ansari is kept under solitary confinement. They are blatantly rejecting that Ansari is under solitary confinement”.
Talking about Ansari’s health J J hospital’s dean T P Lahane who visited and checked Ansari told TwoCircles.net, “His vitals were working when I checked him in prison 10 days ago. His blood pressure was also fine. But how he is now I cannot say as I checked him 10 days ago”.
TwoCircles.net tried to talk with jail authority to know their side on the issue but they have refused to provide any comment. Jail authorities also refused to connect TCN with the head of Prison Superintendent Bharat Bhosale.
Related:
Maharashtra Governor petitioned to move 26/11 accused Zabiuddin Ansari out of solitary confinement