Prisoners’ meetings with relatives suspended amid Covid surge in Bihar

Earlier in March 2020, the Bihar prison department suspended physical meetings before resuming them on October 28 after hundreds of inmates of the Beur central jail went on a hunger strike

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Bihar Prisons department on Monday suspended the prisoners’ meeting with their relatives. During the pandemic earlier, family members were allowed to speak to prison inmates through video calls via a system called e-mulaquat for 15 minutes each.

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Earlier in March 2020, the Bihar prison department suspended physical meetings. They were resumed on October 28 after hundreds of inmates of the Beur central jail went on a hunger strike.

There were over 66,307 inmates in Bihar prison as of December 31.

Beur jail superintendent Jitendra Kumar said that they have again started virtual meetings between inmates and their relatives/lawyers through mobile video calling and conferencing.

Inspector general (prisons) Manesh Kumar Meena cited the rising Covid-19 cases and added that the physical mulaqats of all inmates have been suspended from Tuesday till January 31. “The situation will be reviewed again on February 1,” he said.