Dar (45) in his letter has said, other criminals are able to avail facilities like reading newspapers, books while 'Kashmiri inmates jailed for alleged anti-India activities are harassed regularly including keeping them in solitary confinement for weeks, sub-standard medical treatment and serving filthy water.
An under-trial inmate from Kashmir currently lodged in New Delhi's Tihar jail, has written a letter to his family narrating the 'ordeal' he allegedly faces in the prison. Inmate, Muzaffar Ahmed Dar, an alleged member of militant group Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), was shifted to Tihar from Srinagar's Central Jail after National Investigating Agency (NIA) sought his transfer in 2014.
Dar (45) in his letter has said, other criminals are able to avail facilities like reading newspapers, books while 'Kashmiri inmates jailed for alleged anti-India activities are harassed regularly including keeping them in solitary confinement for weeks, sub-standard medical treatment and serving filthy water.
Dar's younger brother Irfan, a farmer by profession, who corroborated the statement and said that his elder brother had been in regular touch with his family for the entire time in Tihar except the last three weeks.
"He is allotted a total of five minutes per week to speak over the phone. Because five minutes is too less of time, we would exchange letters. He writes detailed letters inquiring about things back home and updates us with the situation in Tihar but the last three weeks the letters didn't come neither did he call," Irfan added.
Dar called his family last week and told them that for 20 days at a stretch he was kept in solitary confinement in BSF camp Chawla House where due to consumption of filthy water, he developed several ailments. "He was not allowed to call. At the end of three weeks he was allowed to send a letter. Even before the letter reached us, he was given the permitted to call. He said that a letter is on the way and not to worry too much because everything is fine now," Irfan further said.
When asked to comment, jail authorities said that they were willing to examine the case if Dar would have complained to them instead writing to his family. "We do not discriminate among prisoners but if an inmate has claimed he was abused, he should have dropped his complaint into any of the petitions boxes which are meant for the prisoners," said DIG Tihar, Mukesh Prasad. The prison has three petition boxes he said, one each for jail superintendent, visiting judge and Director general.
Dar a native of Chichilora in Tangmarag area in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district was arrested for his alleged affiliation HM from Sadrabal area of Srinagar in April 2009.Accused of being the Chief Operations Commander (HM), Dar was lodged in the same jail till 2014 when NIA sought his custody on the grounds that Dar while in jail continued to raise and distribute funds to wage war against India.
His family, however claims that Dar was pursing a degree in law and had no access to the internet. "He was permitted to do LLB by the High Court and was hoping to practice law when he is released" Irfan said .
As of now, charges have not been framed against Dar with his next hearing slated on May 14. The content of the letter however remains the prime focus of Dar's family, especially for his 8-year-old girl.
“On April 8 2015, all the Kashmiri prisoners in High Risk Ward were forcibly separated from one another and shifted to separate narrow and dark cells. The doors of these cells were locked and opened after over a week,” reads the letter
“On April 10 Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) (which is responsible for guarding the outer peripheries of the prison), suddenly raided our cells, ransacked our items including books and seized everything.Some of our items were given back to us, after we went on a hunger strike
“On April 11, I was suddenly shifted to Jail number 8 of Tihar against the orders of the doctor. TSP raided my cell again and seized all the items again including my medicines," it further read.
"We have heard about all kinds of atrocities happening in jails but it is a different thing to imagine someone close to you undergo the horror," Irfan concluded.
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