Barrack number 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail has recently been improved as per modern standards.
Arthur Road Jail i.e. Mumbai Central Jail is once again in the news. This time the reason has been diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, who fled the country after embezzling crores of rupees from Punjab National Bank. His extradition proceedings are underway.Mehul present in Belgium has opposed this extradition. He says that there are no facilities at all in Arthur Road Jail. Many times more prisoners live in this jail than its capacity. The Indian government has rejected Mehul’s claims by handing over the entire list of facilities of Arthur Road Jail to the Belgian government.
Come, let us know what is special about Barrack No. 12 of Arthur Road Jail? What is the history of this jail and barracks? We will also know what kind of prisoners have lived in this barrack till now?
This jail was built during the British Raj
Arthur Road Jail i.e. Mumbai Central Jail, a major high security prison of Maharashtra, has been one of the famous jails of the country for decades. It was established around 1920 during British rule. With time this jail expanded and new facilities were also added. Barrack number 12 has been in the news many times in recent years. In fact it has been formally designed for high profile prisoners. The Indian Government has presented the details of this barrack several times in foreign courts. This time also photographs and videos of the facilities available in Barrack No. 12 have been sent to the Belgian Government.
Preparations are on to bring diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, who fled the country after embezzling crores of rupees, to Arthur Road jail. Photo: Photo by Kunal Patil/HT via Getty Images
How special is Barrack Number 12?
Barrack No. 12 has recently been improved as per modern standards. The size of the barrack is around 46-46.5 square meters, which includes the main room, walking area, wash area as well as toilet. Barrack toilet and bathroom floor is very nice. It also has shower facilities. Every room of the barrack has been provided with several windows and ventilators at the top to ensure cross ventilation. Emphasis has been laid on ventilation and adequate natural light in the barracks.
Many media reports mention three main windows and five upper ventilators. Fans, tube lights and hanging lights are installed on the ceiling so that there is adequate lighting inside and at night. There are also TVs installed in the cells, so that the prisoners can watch news and information. CCTV cameras, mobile jammers and special doors have also been installed in the barracks for surveillance. Due to this, the government has been claiming to continuously monitor and stop unauthorized contacts. There are mentions of providing basic amenities of daily life like tiles on the floor, attention to cleanliness, mattress, pillow and sheet etc. in different reports. The Government of India considers it a high profile barracks. All the facilities are claimed to be as per international standards. This claim has been made many times in the country and abroad.
Barrack 12 has conventional wards as well as a special egg cell. Photo: Photo by Kunal Patil/HT via Getty Images
What is the history of Arthur Road Jail?
There is mention in the documents that Arthur Road Jail was established during the British era around the year 1920. It has been one of the main prison complexes of Mumbai for many decades and has been expanded and rebuilt from time to time. The official capacity of this jail is said to be around a thousand, whereas generally the number of prisoners is much more than this. In different reports, the number of prisoners in this jail has been said to be at least three times more.
After all, what is an egg cell?
Barrack 12 has conventional wards as well as a special egg cell. Its security is of high class. This cell is always used for particularly sensitive cases. It usually houses dangerous or high-profile prisoners who pose a threat to their security. Such prisoners are kept alone. Its structure is oval. When terrorist Ajmal Kasab was brought here, many structural changes were made in Barrack 12 for security reasons. After his hanging, it is being used for high-profile prisoners.
Mehul Choksi. His extradition proceedings are underway.
Apart from Barrack 12, there are other barracks also.
Although Arthur Road Jail is known by the name of Barrack 12, there are many other barracks in the complex. Their number is said to be around 20. There are different rooms in each barrack. In these, rooms are given according to sensitivity. There is a separate barrack for general prisoners and a high-security barrack has also been built separately. There are also separate wards for sick prisoners, walking area for prisoners, jail hospital and administrative wing. The process of construction and repair continues here as per the need.
Who all stayed here?
After the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, prisoners like politicians Chhagan Bhujbal, Sanjay Raut, Anil Deshmukh, Nawab Malik also stayed here in this high security barrack. Peter Mukherjee, former Chief Executive Officer of Star India, was also kept here in the murder case. Although no one wants to go to jail, but if one has to go then the demand for Barrack 12 is high. Because of Ajmal Kasab, facilities were arranged here that high-profile prisoners want to take advantage of or rather are taking advantage of them.
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