BENGALURU: Elderly family members of undertrial prisoners on Thursday highlighted their struggles, including alleged police harassment, financial hardship, denial of pension, health problems and difficulties in accessing legal assistance, at a public hearing organised in Bengaluru.
The hearing was organised at the Press Club by the Association of Prisoners’ Families for Justice (APFJ), in association with the legal aid cell of St Joseph’s Law College and Prarambh Resource Centre. More than 14 families shared their experiences.
Participants said the imprisonment of a family member often pushed elderly parents and grandparents into financial and social distress, forcing them to shoulder household expenses, medical costs and legal expenses, while caring for other dependent family members.
Some elderly people said they continued to undertake domestic, construction and sanitation work despite health problems. One elderly woman said she was forced to beg after she became physically unable to work.
Several participants alleged that police personnel visited their homes to intimidate and verbally abuse them. They also complained about difficulties in obtaining case-related information and accessing legal assistance. The hearing called for independent investigations into allegations of police harassment.
Among those who shared their experiences was Geetha, a 61-year-old widow whose son Kiran, who suffers from schizophrenia, was arrested by Jeevan Bima Nagar police in connection with assault and robbery cases.
She alleged that her son was not given medication for his mental health condition during his one year and eight months in prison and that police had not yet filed a chargesheet against him.
Another participant, 65-year-old Siddamma from Mandya, said her grandson Mahadeva, 28, had died by suicide two days after being released from prison in January. He had been booked under Sections 399 and 402 of the IPC. She alleged that she had not received a copy of the FIR or documents required to obtain his death certificate.
