Tihar Prisons
 | |
| Location | New Delhi, India |
|---|---|
| Status | Open |
| Security class | =http://tiharprisons.nic.in/ |
Tihar Prisons (Hindi: तिहाड़ सेन्ट्रल क़ैदख़ाना, Urdu: تہاڑ سینٹرل قیدخانہ Tihāṛ Central Qaidkhānā), also called Tihar Jail and Tihar Ashram (Hindi: तिहाड़ आश्रम, Urdu: تہاڑ آشرم), is the largest complex of prisons in South Asia. It is located at Tihar village, approximately 7 km from Chanakya Puri, to the west of New Delhi, India. The surrounding area is called Hari Nagar.
The prison is maintained as a Correctional Institution. Its main objective is to convert its inmates into normal members of the society by providing them with useful skills, education and rules. It is meant to improve the inmates' self-esteem and strengthen their desire to improve. Items manufactured by the inmates bear the brand Tihar.[1]As of November 2006[update], Tihar jail has almost 12,000 inmates against the sanctioned capacity of 5,200.[2]
History
Originally it was a maximum security prison run by the State of Punjab. In 1966 control was transferred to the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Beginning in 1984 additional facilities were constructed, and it became the Tihar Prisons.
While Kiran Bedi was the Inspector General of Prisons, and had the Tihar Prisons under her jurisdiction, she instituted a number of prison reforms, including changing the name to Tihar Ashram. She also instituted a Vipassana meditation program for both staff and inmates. The initial classes were given by S. N. Goenka. The Prison has yielded an inmate who has passed the Indian Administrative Service civil service examinations.[3]
Famous inmates
 | This section may require copy editing. (June 2010) |
Charles Sobraj, an international criminal, escaped from this prison on March 16, 1986, but was recaptured shortly thereafter and returned to Tihar Prison with an additional ten year term of imprisonment for the escape. He was released on completion of his term on February 17, 1997. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh who is the convicted murderer of Daniel Pearl spent several years in this prison in connection with 1994 Kidnappings of Western tourists in India.
Ripun Bora, the education minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi-led Cong. government, who is the main accused of one Daniel Topno murder case, was arrested by CBI officials on June 3, 2008, sent to this jail on June 7, 2008.
References
Pholan Devi, Raja Bhaia
- ^ Mukharji, Arunoday (4 February 2007) "Brand Tihar is serious business" CNN-IBN
- ^ "Government takes steps to ease overcrowding in Tihar Jail". Press Information Bureau. 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ Relief to Tihar inmate after he makes it to IAS The Hindu, Feb 11, 2009
External links
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