Indus Valley Times

Also, state records 43 custodial deaths between 2015 and 2022

By Mamata Mohapatra/Biswa Bhusan Mohapatra

Nayagarh, Nov. 2: As many as 421 prisoners, many of them the under-trials, have died in various jails of Odisha between 2015 and 2022, apparently exposing the fact that all is not well in the prison administration of the state. Of the total 421 death cases, the highest 69 prisoners died during the coronavirus pandemic in 2021.

This startling fact has come to the fore following a reply from the State Human Right Commission to Right query by Odisha’s noted human rights activist Biswapriya Kanugo. Mr Kanungo had filed an application with the SHRC under the Right to Information Act (RTI) seeking information on the numbers of prisoners’ deaths and custodial mortality. In 2021, 69 prisoners had died in jails while 65 had perished in 2020.

As per the RTI data, 52 prisoners died in 2015, followed by 44 in 2016, 47 in 2017, 44 in 2018, 48 in 2019, 65 in 2020, 69 in 2021 and 53 till September and this year.

Of the 421 prisoner deaths, 145 died while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack and 53 breathed their last MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur in Ganjam district.

Similarly, as many as 43 custodial deaths took place in the state between 2015 and 2022. Of this, the highest number of seven cases was reported from Sundergarh district.

As many as eight custodial deaths happened in 2015 followed by four in 2016, three in 2017 and four in 2018.  Seven each custodial deaths were registered in 2019 and 2020 while 2021 saw five persons dying in detention.

The state has recorded five custodial deaths till September end this year. Cuttack and Bhubaneswar urban police districts recorded four and two custodial deaths, respectively.

Cuttack rural district reported two, Sambalpur three, Koraput two, Mayurbhanj two, Bargarh two, Kendrapara two, Berhampur two and Ganjam two custodial deaths. Nayagarh, Nabarangpur, Bhadrak, Keonjhar,Rayagada, Puri and Subarnapur reported one each custodial death.

“The high numbers of custodial and prison deaths have brought to light starting facts like the police atrocities on the suspects and accused in custody and lack of care of prisoners jail,” said Pramod Kumar Dev, a human rights activist.