Why even ‘Bahubalis’ dread Banda jail
LUCKNOW: It is said that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. But when it comes to the Banda jail, even the ‘Bahubalis’ want to stay away from it.
A senior police officer, posted in Banda, said since the jail is located on the outskirts of the town, its inmates have to brave extreme climatic conditions during summer and winter. “Besides, it lacks facilities, is stuffed much beyond capacity and houses dreaded dacoits who cause trouble for ‘Bahubalis’,” said the officer who did not want to be named.
The latest case of Mafiosoturned-politician Mukhtar Ansari complaining of chest pain and being admitted to SGPGI, Lucknow hints towards the ‘fear’ of the Banda jail among its inmates.
Not only Ansari but the likes of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, Anil Dujana, Purushottam Naresh Dewedi, Atiq Ahmad and Sundar Bhati, who are feared in their areas, hate the jail.
During incarceration in this jail the ‘Bahubalis’ use various tricks to get shifted to another jail or get themselves admitted in hospital in a bid to stay away from it.
“The jail was upgraded to divisional jail level without improving facilities in it. Often the undertrials have to fetch potable water from outside the jail premises.
The capacity of the prison is 600 but about 1,400 undertrials are lodged in it,” said the officer.
What the ‘Bahubalis’ fear most is that several notorious dacoits are lodged in the jail. Some of them are: Radhey Yadav, Goppa Yadav, Tohini alias Tehsildar, Deepak Patel, Naresh Patel and Gyan Singh. They are active in the Bundelkhand region and are lodged in Banda jail. Though rivals in the jungle, these dacoits are united in the jail. “They do not permit outsiders to dominate and often attack them,” the officer said.
When Ansari, a BSP MLA, complained of severe chest pain on Tuesday, the Banda administration immediately shifted him to SGPGI, Lucknow.
However, the report of doctors on Thursday that angiography of Ansari was normal has sent him back behind bars in Banda jail. His family members protested but the administration remained unmoved.