Mumbai: Colaba, Thane, DN Nagar police stations and many more bastions of the Khakee across the state of Maharashtra have had some unusual visitors over the past few months.
According to documents in possession of CNN-IBN, judges from their respective district and Sessions Courts have assessed the living conditions of the cells in these police stations and have come to some hair raising conclusions.
- Most lockups do not have clean drinking water
- Most do not have a mattress or any form of bedding
- A lot of the cells stink because toilets aren't cleaned and there is no ventilation
- A lot of them did not have electricity
The reason behind these high profile visits is a young lawyer, Rahul Thakur, who filed a PIL with the Bombay High court after he was appalled by the deplorable conditions of the police station when he went to visit a client.
Thakur now wants at least the bare neccesities provided. "The facilities that are provided to all the persons who are confined to police lock ups are totally pathetic," he says.
"There is no facility for drinking water, no electricity, no fans and no provision for food. Infact, the basic amenities such as toilets are also not available," adds the lawyer.
Ironically, the police top brass say that giving more ameneties to the detenues could jeopardise security.
Commissioner of Police, Thane, D Sivanandan, says, "When we are trying to give them as many amenities as possible, we have to also worry about their safety and security."
"When we give them so many to facilities in the lock up, the same things could be used for hanging themselves or for committing suicide," he adds.
But with the final report already submitted, these reasons may not stand any grounds before the grand jury.
However, the big question is - How soon will the High Court crack the whip so that the people who are picked up by the police, atleast get the basic facilities to live in dignity?
Comments
0 comment