By IANS
Patna : With the men in blue battling Australia, Bihar’s prison department has decided to keep inmates of its overcrowded jails in good humour by introducing cricket matches.
Faced with increasing trouble, violence and protests by prisoners, officials feel that introducing the country’s most popular game in jails would certainly cool tempers.
“We strongly feel cricket matches in jails will help reduce tension,” Inspector General (prison) Sandip Paundrik told IANS.
The innovative idea was mooted after officials reported to the top brass that cricket matches on television act as a strong binding force among prisoners.
In a bid to test the response of the inmates, a cricket match was organised in the Samastipur district jail in December. “It turned out to be a big hit,” Paundrik said.
The prison department has now decided to organise cricket matches in all the jails.
First, there will be an inter-ward tournament and a team from each jail will be picked to play the inter-jail tournament.
The authorities have directed the superintendents of all the jails to organise cricket matches. “The next cricket match will be held at Gaya central jail,” he said.
In Gaya, about 90 km from here, prisoners can be seen practicing cricket these days. Eager to play ball, the authorities have provided cricket kits to them.
Apart from cricket matches, football and volleyball tournaments would also be organised for the inmates.
“These matches are aimed at promoting a stress-free culture in jails,” Paundrik said.
All the 54 jails in Bihar are plagued with problems like understaffing and overcrowding. As many as 48,000 prisoners are lodged in different jails against a total capacity of 21,745, officials said.