Taking note of the ongoing hunger strike by inmates of the Srinagar Central Jail, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has called for an inspection of the jail premises on July 24 to know the facts behind the strike and to ascertain the condition of the prisoners lodged there.
In its orders passed on Monday, the commission has deputed its member Abdul Hamid Wani along with the SSP, SHRC, to visit the jail on July 25 and submit an inspection report.
The prisoners in the high-security Srinagar Central Jail are on an indefinite hunger strike to protest shifting of inmates to jails outside the Valley, poor quality of food, alleged denial of medical aid, and delay in the trials.
The commission passed the orders on Monday following a petition by a human rights activist in which he brought to the fore the plight of the prisoners lodged in the jail, where the security has been beefed up following the escape of Lashkar commander Naveed Jutt from a Srinagar hospital on February 6. Jutt was lodged in the Srinagar jail before his dramatic escape. In the incident, two policemen accompanying him were killed by the militants who planned the operation.
The SHRC secretary, in its letter to the Principal Secretary to government, Home Department, has said the visit is being taken up in exercise of powers vested under Section 13C of the J&K Prevention of Human Rights Act, 1997.
The Principal Secretary has been requested to issue necessary instruction to the Jail Superintendent to extend full cooperation to the visiting dignitary of the commission and keep the detailed records of the detainees, undertrails and convicts ready for the purpose of inspection.
Panel member to inspect premises
The prisoners in the high-security Srinagar Central Jail are on an indefinite hunger strike to protest shifting of inmates to jails outside the Valley, poor quality of food, alleged denial of medical aid, and delay in the trials. The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has called for an inspection of the jail premises on July 24 to know the facts behind the strike and to ascertain the condition of the prisoners lodged there. In its orders passed on Monday, the commission has deputed its member Abdul Hamid Wani along with the SSP, SHRC, to visit the jail on July 25 and submit an inspection report
