Statesman News Service
MALDA, May 23: It was an embarrassing moment for the state jail minister, Mr Biswanath Chowdhury, and officials present today when they were mocked by a Maoist under trial Animesh Chakraborty during an inauguration ceremony at the Malda correctional home. Shouting anti-government slogans and criticising the role of the state government over political prisoners and a horde of other issues, the under trial flashed a poster at the minister that he had fashioned clandestinely inside the jail confines for the purpose. There was further agony for jail minister Mr Biswanath Chowdhury when the local media persons intimated him that friends and relatives of under trials had to line the pockets of the jail staff to meet the prisoners. The jail authorities, however, denied the allegation and said that a box to receive applications from visitors has been provided at the jail. “We consider applications submitted by noon. No one is allowed to visit prisoners in jail by paying money to the jail staff,” they said. Mr Chowdhury inaugurated a complex at the Malda correctional home for women prisoners today. The new facility, which according to the minister would be able to accommodate 50 inmates, has been named after Pritilata Waddedar. Jail officials said that accommodation for women in the sub-jail was not sufficient earlier. In addition to the new facility, over Rs 15 lakh has been spent for renovation and construction of the jail’s boundary wall. A block, which was outside the jail and was used as an office, has been converted into a women cell. The inspector general prison, Mr BD Sharma, Malda zilla parishad sabhadhipati, Mr Goutam Chakraborty, Malda Ramkrishna Mission chief Swami Divyananda, additional district magistrate Mr Abdul Khaleque and the Malda superintendent of police Mr DK Mondal were also present today.
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