‘Visit Arthur Road jail to see hell on earth’

A health camp conducted by NGO Rajendra Love and Care at Arthur Road Jail on Saturday found that inmates have been suffering from various infectious aliments due to overcrowding.

A large number of inmates were either HIV-positive or had tuberculosis and various fungal and skin infections as the prisons are overcrowded, and possess limited bathrooms and lavatories.

Dr Viral Mehta from the NGO, said, “We conduct camps regularly in jail. We distributed medicines and ointments. We have even conducted yoga sessions. More than 350 inmates have participated in our programme.”

While talking to The Asian Age, an Arthur Road jail inmate who was brought to the state-run J.J Hospital, for a routine check-up, said, “If you want to see hell on earth you should visit Arthur Road jail. One barrack in the jail is meant for 70-80 persons but there are more than 300 people crammed in all of them at any given point in time. It’s the dirtiest place in the world. Due to this we suffer a lot of infections. The absence of clean toilets lead to the spread of various diseases like skin disorders and ailments related to respiration has increased.”

Dean of J.J Hospital Dr. T.P. Lahane said, “We give good care whenever an inmate is brought to our hospital and we are giving them the required treatment to fight skin infections.”

Arthur Road jail has the capacity to house 800 prisoners, but 2,800 are being kept inside. Furthermore, the number is increasing each day, resulting in various disorders among inmates, such as skin and respiratory disorders, and poor quality of food.

Also, bed bugs are ubiquitous, and cause the rapid spread of infection across barracks.

Court proceedings being delayed and certain inmates getting better treatment, such as gangsters and politicians, has sparked frustration among inmates and groups have repeatedly been fighting, with violence being reported in the last two months.