Jailed doctor Kafeel Khan writes a letter describing the conditions in the overcrowded Mathura jail. When the capacity of Mathura jail is 534, there are 1600 prisoners lodged in the jail, forget social distancing, writes Dr Kafeel Khan. Dr Kafeel’s letter points out how one day in the overcrowded and unhygienic jail is endured. Read his letter here. He narrates vulnerable conditions in jail. The Hindi letter is translated by Mohammed Hussain.
A purported 4-page hand-written letter by paediatrician Kafeel Khan, narrating the “hellish” conditions of his prison barrack where he said about 150 inmates are sharing a toilet, has stirred a row on social media platforms. However, springing a surprise, Mathura prison authorities, where the suspended UP government doctor is lodged, have raised a question mark over the authenticity of the letter itself.
When contacted, Mathura jail senior superintendent Shailendra Maitri, said, “Kafeel is sitting in front of me and he denies having written any letter.” as TOI reports.
The gist of this letter is as below
Exact at 5 a.m. in the morning, we wake up to the sound of cops shouting: “Oye, all of you get up and run till we count”. As soon as the counting finishes all of us run towards toilets and wash rooms. The capacity of jail is for 534 inmates but there are 1600 prisoners lodged here.
In every barrack, there are 125 to 150 prisoners and only 4 washrooms. So all of us have to be in queue for hours to freshen up. Usually, my number is 4th or 5th – and then I wait for the person to come out. By the time my turn comes my stomach would be paining while waiting. I get to face that nauseating dirty smell, mosquitoes, flies before getting fresh. Often I vomit.
Anyway, after finishing the nature’s call somehow, I come out, wash my hands thoroughly and brush my teeth. Next, again there is a queue to take bath. Usually in half an hour’s time my turn comes. We take bath in the open and there are just 3 to 4 taps. I have to clean the floor, wash my clothes and take my bath.
Between 7.30 to 8.00 a.m, we have to be in queue for breakfast which consists of either “Dalia” or “Chana”.
After the breakfast, I take a walk inside. Since, it is extremely hot these days, I start sweating within 15 minutes and my shorts and vest get completely wet and I go sit under the tap to cool myself. Since we are allotted very small place, I spread my torn blanket and cover it with a bed sheet to sit or sleep on it .
There is no question of social distancing as we have to sleep very close to each other due to shortage of space. Power goes off so frequently that after every half an hour, I splash water on my body. My body is burning due to prickly heat. The place is filled with millions of flies and I have to fight continuously to ward them off and the moment I stop they sit all over on my body.
Around 11.a.m we are served lunch for which again we have to be in queue and have to wash our own utensils.
Lunch consists of watery daal. As for sabzee it’s boiled radish cauliflower or bottle gourd and for rotis there is a separate line. About food the less said the better as it is unpalatable but somehow we have to swallow with water as we have to survive.
Because of Corona Pandemic we are not allowed to meet our family members as they used to bring fruits for me and I used to consume just that avoiding the prison foods.
Barrack closes at 12.00 noon for siesta. With 125 to 150 inmates there, with no electricity often, everyones clothes and body get wet with sweat. It feels like hell for 3 hrs with foul and unbearable stench of sweat, urine and crowd’s breathing. I drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
I want to read but the place is so nauseating that I cannot concentrate and feel like falling unconscious.
After 3 hrs break we run out in the open but the scorching heat of 45 degrees doesn’t allow us to remain there for long. We get a bit of shade near the prison wall to pray Zuhar and I take bath again to offer the prayer.
Dinner is served at 5 p.m. the menu of which is the same as what has been served in lunch and we just consume it in order to kill our appetite.
At 6 p.m. the barrack closes for the day. We again struggle to take bath in the groups of 10 people.
At night we face the same suffocation and a struggle to sleep in crowded place
After magrib prayer, I try to read some book but there is so much of suffocation and distraction. If the electricity goes off then it is impossible to read as it become unbearably hot. We get drenched in our own sweat.
The torment continues as the night falls as we are bitten by the insects and mosquitoes for the entire night.
The whole barrack is like a fish market with suffocation and foul smell due to someone fainting, coughing, sneezing, snoring, urinating, scratching or farting.
During the night we witness fight of the inmates due to which the sleep gets disturbed or due to commotion of someone going to washrooms.
Usually, I spend the entire night sitting and if by chance I fall asleep, my sleep is disturbed by the transgression of someone’s hand or feet and then I wait during the entire night for the morning call to get out of this hell.
I wonder for what crime I am being punished like this. When will I go back to my kids, my wife and my family? When will I render my service as a Medic to save patients from the Carona Pandemic? Dr.Kafeel Khan
(www.siyasat.net is Ahmedabad,Gujarat,India based website)
