MALIK TO BE LODGED ALONE, NOT ENTITLED TO FURLOUGH

NEW DELHI: Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik will not be assigned any work at Tihar jail due to security reasons, will be lodged alone inside jail number 7 and will not be entitled to any parole or furlough during his prison term, officials said on Wednesday.

Malik, who was earlier in the day awarded life imprisonment by a Delhi court in a terror funding case, will be among over 3,500 convicts in the country’s largest Tihar prison complex and will be one of the most guarded prisoners at the premises, they added.

“Convicts are usually given different jobs. It could be in the prison’s carpentry unit, bakery, or even managing the library and kitchen... In Malik’s case, due to security reasons, he will be kept alone in the same cell in jail 7,” a mid-level prison officer said on condition of anonymity.

“Malik’s security will be routinely monitored by the Intelligence Bureau besides jail officers,” the prison officer added.

Another such prisoner, who is lodged alone and has no access to prison inmates, is former underworld don Chhota Rajan. He is lodged in another part of the prison.

Unlike other convicts, Malik will not be eligible for parole or furlough since he has been convicted in a terror funding case, a second mid-level jail officer said.

“Convicts with terror cases are not considered for parole and furlough. He will be able to apply for premature release only after completing at least 14 years in prison. His case will then be decided by the Sentence Review Board,” the second officer said on condition of anonymity.

“But records show that convicts involved in terror cases do not easily get a nod from the board for their release.”