AHMEDABAD: Gujarat has the dubious distinction of topping the list of states in the country where the maximum number of custodial deaths took place over the last five years, with 80 such cases being reported.
According to a report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), tabled in Parliament by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Gujarat saw 14 custodial deaths in 2017–18, 13 in 2018–19, 12 in 2019–20 and 24 in 2021–22.
The statistics provided by the ministry regarding the condition of inmates in Gujarat’s jails also paint a dismal picture.
“Gujarat state has a prison capacity of 13,999 prisoners, 16,597 prisoners are currently housed in its jails. Importantly, the numbers unequivocally show that Gujarat’s jails are overflowing with 2,598 inmates,” according to the data tabled by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra while responding to a question posed by Congress MP Abdul Khaleque in the Lok Sabha.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in response to another question posed in the Lok Sabha, said that there are a total of 745 police stations in Gujarat, out of which 622 have CCTVs and 123 do not. According to data submitted in the Lok Sabha, the central government has not released the Rs 25.58 crores it set aside for the upgrading of the Gujarat Police for the past two years (2020-2021 and 2021-2022).
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker said, “The growing number of custodial deaths in Gandhi-Sardar’s Gujarat is a source of shame for the state. The rule of law governs a civil society. However, the BJP government’s use of incarceration amounts to abuse of power.”
Congress leader Parthivaraj Singh took on the Gujarat government. “Gujarat’s jails are already overflowing. According to a government report, 22,696 accused are still at large in Gujarat. When all of these people are apprehended, where will they be kept? Will new jails be constructed? When will they be completed?” he said.