Life in prison is difficult at the best of times, but inmates of District Jail Mansehra have a sword—or in this case an unstable roof—hanging over their heads, waiting to strike at any moment.
The lack of attention from authorities has put the lives of over 400 prisoners in danger as a major chunk of the structure developed cracks after the October 26, 2015 earthquake. The whole building could come crumbling down if the area is to experience a tremor similar to the ones which continued well into December 2015, official sources told The Express Tribune.
The K-P Communication and Works department prepared an estimate of Rs90 million to reconstruct the damaged barracks and cells. This has yet to be approved by prison authorities.
During a recent visit to the district jail by independent sources, inmates said barracks 1,2, 4 and 5, with a capacity of 90 prisoners each, developed cracks beyond repair. At the same time, barracks 3 and 6 had small cracks.
Negligence not capital punishment
Inmates of the four irreparable structures feel their lives are at risk. They said in spite of several appeals and requests to authorities, there have been no signs of repair or arrangements to shift the people at risk.
“It seems nature will execute us before a court,” said a prisoner, requesting anonymity. He added inmates had many a sleepless night after the earthquake as even a minor jolt spread fear.
Another under trial prisoner from Abbottabad, facing murder charges, said his case might take a couple of years before a final decision. Like others, he also feared his surroundings could cause his death before a court handed out a death sentence.
A third inmate believed the jail department had millions at its disposal and the failure to repair the damaged building was nothing short of a conspiracy to kill off the inmates. He said prisoners from Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan and Torghar are incarcerated at District Jail Mansehra as a similar facility in Abbottabad is yet to be reconstructed after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.
“As a result, overcrowding and congestion remain serious problems and inmates, including women, are facing trouble.” Jail superintendent Abdul Qayum was unavailable for comments when approached.
Waiting for the gallows pole
However, an officer, who requested anonymity, confirmed the barracks were not the only structure which could be described as dangerous, the gallows and cells for death row inmates were also in bad shape.
He said the gallows were constructed after 2008 and could not be used for executions as the partially damaged boundary wall exposed authorities to security threats. He added the 10 cells meant to hold a prisoner each were also damaged after the recent earthquake.
The officer said the building in Mansehra was constructed and handed over to the K-P Prisons department in July 2003. It managed to survive the 2005 earthquake, but the great temblor of 2015 shook it to its very core. He said the jail has a capacity of 485 inmates, but was currently housing 740 people, including 20 women, 60 juveniles and two people on death row.
To a question, he replied the jail superintendent had written to IG Prisons in November 2015 who referred the case to the C&W department for an estimate. The C&W department responded by preparing a proposal of Rs90 million to reconstruct the damaged barracks and cells.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2016.
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