(Represnetative image) In a controversial move, the government has prohibited serious offenders from making phone calls to their families
This decision of the government has generated intense dissatisfaction and anger among the prisoners and their families,” said APDR vice-president Ranjit Sur. KOLKATA: Prisoners charged under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) or under various sections of the anti-terror laws or for waging war against the state are no longer able to make phone calls to their family members, friends, lawyers and human rights activists after the government issued a circular that curbed them the right to make phone calls. “The withdrawal of the phone facility has completely isolated these prisoners from the outside world, including their families and lawyers.
Reacting to the curbs imposed due to the discovery of gadgets and phones from Ansari’s cell, activists point out that if a specific prisoner violates prison rules, the prison authorities can take action against that individual.
The telephone facility must not be snatched away from anyone, as the telephone is a vital lifeline for prisoners,” said Sur. “Stripping everyone of their rights for the crime of one individual is medieval barbarism.