The Dhaka Times Desk Prison in the conventional sense means a place of punishment for criminals. Also called in civilized parlance, the penitentiary. Prison means complete isolation from the outside world. But there is a country in which prisoners live in prison!
Prisoners have to stay inside the four walls of the prison day after day. However, the concerned authorities are responsible for feeding, dressing and treating the criminals in the prisons as well. A prisoner has to leave the comfortable life outside and spend his days in hardship. There you have to wear the clothes of the designated inmates of the prison.
If you wanted, you could get out of the prison every day, or get married and start a family in the prison, you could buy and keep daily necessities like TV, refrigerator or car - then it would be good! It may seem unrealistic but such a prison actually exists. It is our nearest neighbor in Rajasthan, India!
Prisoners from a prison called Sanganar in Rajasthan leave every morning in search of work! Some of them are daily labourers, some are factory workers, some are drivers and some are yoga teachers. Among them, two prisoners named Ramchand and Sagna are married. Both of these defendants in the case of murder!
Ramchand drives a school bus and Sagna works in a garment factory. Every morning they come out of the prison. Here is their iron roof house. There are also all kinds of essentials including TV, fridge, furniture. Among them, Ramchand was alone, on the other hand Sagna's family abandoned him. That is why their neighbors gave them in marriage. So that they don't have to be alone. They have been living in this Sanganar prison since their marriage.
Actually Sanganar is an open prison. It is a prison in Jaipur, the capital of the western Indian state of Rajasthan. There is no wall around this prison, no security guard to watch the prisoners! Even inmates are encouraged to go outside. They are asked to go to the city in search of work. Because even if allowed to stay in this prison, the defendants have to bear the food, clothing or medical expenses themselves. There are 450 inmates like Ramchand and Sagna in this jail. Those who are basically living independently. But not only Sangana, there are 30 more such open prisons in Rajasthan!
Anyone can enter these prisons. Those accused of murder cases in this prison, they said that they are happy here. The statement of the defendants in the murder case is that this prison is an open field. That is why they are here happily.
However, to come to this open prison, a prisoner has to spend two-thirds of his total sentence within the four walls of other prisons. Many defendants do not want to go to this open prison from a closed prison! Many of them are working here permanently, many are married and have a family, and have enrolled their sons and daughters in nearby schools. That is why they want to stay here even after the sentence is over. That's why the government sometimes has to carry out operations to evict them! Source: BBC.
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