After a drastic decline in Covid-19 cases in recent months, the Jammu and Kashmir Prisons Department has decided to allow families to meet their relatives lodged in various jails across the union territory (UT).
According to an order the Prisons Department has decided to resume “mulaqat” (meeting) facility in jails, which was stopped as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 in jails last March.
Jammu and Kashmir has apparently witnessed a substantial drop in its average daily number of Covid-19 cases reported in the last two months. From the peak of over 1,600 positive cases per day in September, the number has come down to 100-odd positive cases in recent days.
The department had also advised the family members, wishing to meet their kin in jails, to keep the Covid-19 negative certificates with them. “As per the order issued by the Directorate of Prisons J&K, inmates shall be allowed to have one interview/mulaqat with their family members in a month,” the order reads.
“Jail Superintendents shall ensure that necessary Covid-19 SOP/protocol is strictly followed,” it said. “Family members are advised to carry Covid-19 negative test reports (not older than 48 hours) with them for mulaqat purposes.”
Official data reveals that the occupancy in the jails of J&K is 10 times higher than their capacity. Last April, over two hundred prisoners, including those detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), were released, to decongest the jails in the UT.
(Published 22 January 2021, 07:06 IST)
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