Insecure prisoners in Tihar

More satisfying for the families of those allegedly assaulted in Tihar jail is the action of the Delhi high court than the concern conveyed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to Union Home Secretary on the reports about torture of inmates in Tihar jail. Now it is not merely the issue of torture of inmates in Delhi’s Tihar jail but an issue of the conduct and the intents of the central government’s investigative agencies on the probe of illegal funding allegations.
Though every investigation agency reserves the right to arrest accused but using torture methods during the course of investigation is not allowed by the procedures of trial set for the investigative agencies even in probing the matters concerning matters of internal and external security of the country. The reports about the torture of some of jail inmates of Kashmir in Delhi’s Tihar jail are eye opener to those who eyes shut ridicule the human rights activists alleging violation of jail manuals both within and outside Jammu & Kashmir state. Importantly the state governments have to ensure that no harassment is done to the accused arrested by different investigative agencies of the central government but Jammu & Kashmir government is unfortunately not taking serious the allegations of harassment by the families those detained by either investigative agencies or army and paramilitaries for investigation purposes. Now when the reports about the harassment of jail inmates in Tihar jail have hit the newspaper headlines the incumbent Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has woken up from deep slumber and called up the Union Home Secretary to convey her deep concerns to him over the reports about of torture of inmates in Delhi’s Tihar jail. Had the state government taken assurances from the concerned investigative agencies and the authorities of Tihar jail over the issues of harassment, the allegations of torture in Tihar jail won’t have sent shocking waves across Kashmir today.
Though Union Home Secretary in response to the concerns raised by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has assured a probe into the allegations of torture and punishment to the accused, but keeping in view the sensitivities of the allegations of the torture against authorities of Tihar jail the Chief Minister is within her rights to seek immediate shifting of the accused officials of Tihar jail to address the apprehensions of the families of the complainants. More alarming than the concern of the Chief Minister is the constitution of a three member team to be headed by session judge of a trial court by Delhi high court for submitting a fact finding report it on the charges of assault on inmates in Tihar jail. So more satisfying for the families of those allegedly assaulted in Tihar jail is the action of the Delhi high court than the concern conveyed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to Union Home Secretary on the reports about torture of inmates in Tihar jail. Now it is not merely the issue of torture of inmates in Delhi’s Tihar jail but an issue of the conduct and the intents of the central government’s investigative agencies on the probe of illegal funding allegations.