THE new Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj started its operations from Friday after some 6,400 prisoners were shifted to the new location. As per the media reports, this new jail will facilitate basic needs of the prisoners and maintain the United Nations’ standard rule for prisoners in where every inmate will get a 90-square feet area to live. The historic Dhaka Central Jail on Nazimuddin Road while remained over-congested and unhealthy for inmates; we hope that the new jail will be steadfastly turned into a reformatory center, not a punitive house. The old but still usable buildings on Nazimuddin Road have been yard-marked to turn into a museum and a recreation center, what seemingly is not a better option to us. The government can use the old jail for under trial prisoners who have to appear before the Court regularly during the trial process on date of hearings as the step would ease the trial process and save time and money.
Despite establishing 16 buildings spread out over 78.5 hectares of land in Keraniganj there is no female ward and limited facilities for the inmate-relative meeting(s). The new jail has no hospital either. IG Prison hoped that the new jail would be free of any syndicate about which allegations were raised earlier. As the old jail usually accommodate more than 8000 prisoners against its capacity of 2600, after relocation the new jail will hopefully ensure enough facilities for the prisoners. It has the capacity to accommodate 4,090 prisoners, including 100 male adolescents, 30 mentally challenged male prisoners, 200 women inmates, 40 female adolescent prisoners and 20 female mentally challenged prisoners. Besides, 60 classified wards and 400 cells have been constructed for dangerous prisoners. It is our strong view that this new jail campus should entirely be used as the house of prisoners who are serving terms of sentences awarded by the justice system.
In this 200-year old jail, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman passed many years with many others like Manik Mia, Moulana Bhashani before the birth of Bangladesh and after independence four national leaders were brutally murdered and hence it is an invaluable asset for the new nation. We fear that this invaluable historic place might get distorted and demolish while renovation works undergo. This old one should be the house of under-trial prisoners and otherwise detained persons. Moreover, its land, in part or otherwise, should not be rented out for commercial or personal gains of a few people, as the rumour is on the air.
The government should modernize all the century-old prisons across the country for better facilities to the prisoners and should take a project in turning the prisons as correction centers so that the inmates after obtaining release serving the terms can go back to normal life and contribute to nation-building.
We welcome the government step of setting up the new prison and ask the authority to be strict in maintaining inmates’ rights and facilities that could motivate them to become contributing members of the society again. We hope the rest works would be completed soon and inmates get better service in Keraniganj.
