More than 50 inmates of Tihar Jail have gone on a hunger strike against a recent guideline by prison authorities which allows them to meet their relatives only once a week instead of the two times which was the norm before.
As per fresh guidelines issued by Tihar Jail Director General Vimla Mehra, prisoners in the high-security ward are to be allowed to interact with their relatives only once a week.
The new guidelines, issued on January 28, also state that the meetings would be done only through video conferencing and not more than five blood relatives can talk to the prisoners.
The agitating prisoners have written letters to jail authorities, the chief justice of Delhi high court, district judge of Tis Hazari court, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and the National Human Rights Commission demanding scrapping of the new rule on meeting relatives.
They have also demanded that the number of relatives who may interact with them be increased from five to 15.
The inmates have said that they will launch an indefinite strike if their demands are not met.
Image: Tihar Jail in New Delhi
Photiograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
