What is the reality of torture in Indian jails?
Torture in Indian jails needs to be viewed as a distinct problem from the point of view of it being used to extract information. There is an enormous shortage of personnel and the jails are filled with convicts and undertrials. For the jail authorities to maintain what is referred to as law and order in the jail is a very difficult task. So this task is outsourced to convicts chosen by the jail authorities.
The convicts who are “loyal” to the authorities are supposed to maintain order in the jail and a majority of them are just goons. They are allowed to carry sticks. When I talked to people from other jails, I found out that this is common in other jails too. The goons are licensed by the authorities to maintain law and order and even beat up people when they consider it appropriate. I have seen that people are beaten until they fall to the ground and I have heard from several sources that one of the prisoners was beaten until he died in Bilaspur jail. This is a common story. There is no question of natural justice or recourse. It is done with impunity.
So where does torture end and plain violence begin?
Starting with the food that is not edible, there is a disparity in the portions. One widely used practice would be to beat up new prisoners and then hand them phones to call their homes and ask for money to be sent. Unless money was sent, these people would be beaten regularly. Homosexual rape is a common phenomenon. The occurrence of these instances is not unknown to jail authorities. Then there is psychological torture. People have no hope in the jail. They have no way of articulating an alternate future. This is an extremely damaging part in the state of mind of prisoners.
What should the role of doctors be in such a scenario?
Doctors ought to provide relief and recourse, but medical services available to prisoners are inadequate. The medical staff treats them with disdain. By and large, doctors reinforce the message imposed by jail authorities.
What happens when victims of torture try to seek justice?
I have not seen any victims trying to seek justice. When I tried to protect prisoners who were being beaten up, my protests were regarded as ramblings of a crazy person. I think the reason why India has not yet been able to ratify the UN convention on the prevention of torture is fairly obvious. The Indian security apparatus employs torture to maintain law and order in an unjust and iniquitous manner.
