The Jhenaidah prison has virtually turned into a hell where prisoners are living a subhuman life with accommodation crisis and substandard foods.
Prisons in the district are overcrowded as a large number of inmates are living in the jail beyond its capacity.
The poor quality of food is also making inmates ill, and lack of proper healthcare aggravates the problem.
According to prison sources, 639 prisoners are now living in the jail, against the capacities of 500.
Jail sources said at least 36 square feet of space is required for each non-criminal prisoner; 24 square feet for each convicted and under trial prisoner, and 54 square feet every death-sentenced prisoner as per jail code. But in reality, such an amount of space is a luxury.
Jail sources said a prisoner is provided with less than half a tea-spoon of molasses and a thin piece of bread in the morning, rice with daal in the afternoon and a nominal piece of fish or mutton at night.
Inmates have blamed a syndicate of jail employees and contractors who supply food to the prison for the low-quality ingredients.
People who have recently visited the prison said they were compelled to buy curries prepared by substandard edible oils, fish, and mutton for their relatives.
Besides, many prisoners alleged that when they fell sick, prison authority charged money to admit them to hospital.
Moreover, many visitors alleged that jail authority realised Tk10 to Tk20 against Tk5 when they went to visit their near and dear ones.
But Superintendent of Jhenaidah district prison Iqbal Hossain differed with all of the allegations.
He said usually the prison authority prepared foods with the rice, pulse and wheat supplied from the government’s food godown.
Asked about taking money from ill inmates, he said allegation of admission of any prisoner to hospital against money was not true as ill patients are provided with treatment as per the prescription of physicians.
“It is quite absurd to provide equal opportunities for all when huge prisoners live in limited areas.”
Prisoners in the district prison are given fan and television for better living and sewing machines to involve in income-generation activities, he said.