Meghalaya jail inmates agitate for more time outside cells

Undertrial prisoners of a district jail in Meghalaya went on a hunger strike for a day demanding that they should be allowed "more time" to spend outside their cells.

Undertrial prisoners of a district jail in Meghalaya went on a hunger strike for a day demanding that they should be allowed "more time" to spend outside their cells.

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Around 70 undertrial prisoners, lodged in Williamnagar jail in East Garo Hills district, went on a hunger strike on Tuesday demanding that they should be allowed to go out of the cells from morning to evening.

"We should be given more hours outside the cells to be able to move around in the premises of the jail," the undertrial prisoners said in a petition to Deputy Commissioner, who is also in charge of the district jails.

Deputy Commissioner of East Garo Hills district, Ajay Kumar, had a two-hour discussion with the agitators and the hunger strike was called off yesterday.

"It is not plausible to let out the inmates from morning to evening. Neither the security allows it nor there is any such rule," Kumar told PTI on Thursday.

He said they were let out in the jail premises for five-and-a-half hours daily as per the provisions.

The undertrial prisoners also sought a full-time doctor in the jail and demanded that they should be produced before the court daily.

The DC said the prisoners' other demands would be placed before the state government.