The news that inmates at the Colvale Central jail were allowed to make and set alight an effigy of the demon Ravana replete with fireworks, firecrackers raises questions with which the State’s central prison is being run by the jail authorities.
As per reports that have emerged so far, the Assistant Jail Superintendent allowed explosives to be carried within the four walls of the prison for use in the effigy -- that stood at almost seven metres tall, multi-headed and when set alight was a spectacular show, such that it made its way to social media filmed right within the jail premises.
One may argue that making and burning an effigy, isn’t something that should be frowned upon since it would ideally prove to be a gainful activity for the inmates who are otherwise looking for ways and means to keep themselves busy. It may also be argued that things like cigarettes and other harmless stuff smuggled in helps the prisoners meet their cravings, thus with the potential of ensuring a calmer situation within.
However, seen in the context of how explosives made their way into prison right under the noses of and with the concurrence of jail authorities reveals the callousness with which the correctional centre is being run in the State. Besides being dangerous, explosives in the hands of inmates have the potential to cause chaos within the jail, injure fellow inmates and disrupt the law and order within prison. That the jail authorities are completely unmindful of the risks associated with the acts they just permitted speaks volumes of the management of the correctional centre.
It is fortunate that, so far at least, no untoward incident was reported on account of the fireworks being allowed within the prison. But it could have been very different. Stories of jail inmates smuggling, drugs, mobile phones and even dangerous weapons have been reported from the jail in the recent past.
The situation was to have improved after the post of the Inspector General of Prisons was given to an IPS officer and was no longer with a bureaucrat. Instead, replacing a Goa Civil Service officer with an IPS officer seems to have made little difference to the manner in which the prison is managed.
The shifting of the central jail from the Portuguese-era Aguada jail to the modern complex at Colvale was to bring about not just a new physical building for the prisoners and their management, but also ensure that a new system is in place to provide for better correctional and rehabilitation of people found to be in violation of the law. Instead, the new building has meant that only the physical premises have changed, but the management of the institution has not changed substantially leaving the situation no different for the prisoners.
Periodically suspending jail guards or higher ranked officials will not have the desired results especially if the said officials are found to be repeatedly allowing contraband to be smuggled into prison. The Prisons Department needs the right kind of political will if reforms are to be initiated rather than being treated as yet another arm of the home department with no specific attention.
