little over twice as tall as the average man, made of concrete and secured by barbed wires, but still the walls of Asia’s largest prison complex have failed to instil confidence among women residing in a vicinity immediately next to Tihar jail to use balconies and terraces of their homes.
Besides the boundary wall, several homes in Janakpuri C-Block are separated from the jail by an approximately 150-metre wide Dada Satram Mamtani Road. With the tallest of prison walls being no higher than 15 metres, balconies and terraces of houses bordering the jail walls overlook the prison compound.
The undertrials there make vulgar gestures and blow whistles whenever women emerge on the balconies or terraces. Residents say they feel harassed and fear for their safety.
The prisoners use this to their full advantage, they add. The issue persists in the case of the top two floors of the three-floor flats.
“At times, 30-40 undertrials gather under a tree to letch. Some point to their groin, while others use mirrors or plates to flash lights in my direction,” said a woman resident who refused to be identified for the fear of being tracked down and stalked by the undertrials once they get out. “This is my own house. I cannot shift elsewhere,” she added.
Another resident Vidya (name changed) said she uses her terrace only at night as the undertrials are locked away then.
Shruti Rattan, a North-West Delhi resident who frequently visits her cousin in Janakpuri, says she can hear prisoners whistling at her when she visits the terrace in the early morning hours.
“Some of them signal me to crossover to the prison and vice-versa,” she added.
Raj Kumari, a domestic help, refused to sweep or mop balconies that overlook the prison compound after she noticed the prisoners gathering with alarming regularity around the time she would begin cleaning.
Despite the fear, filing an official complaint is a far cry, the residents tell The Hindu .
Tihar jail Deputy Inspector General and Public Relations Officer Mukesh Prasad said this was the first time he had heard of this menace.
“If we catch undertrials in the act or receive an official complaint, the jail superintendent can award punishments as prescribed in the jail manual. We can also register an FIR against them,” he said, adding that the prison walls cannot be raised further.
When the jail was established in 1957, it was not assumed that residential buildings will come up overlooking the prison compound, he said.
“The concept was to have a jail outside the city so there is no disturbance in the daily lives of civilised society.”
Mr. Prasad expressed worry about the situation at the soon-to-be operational jail in Mandoli, where “high-rise apartments have already been constructed near the jail premises”.
Tihar jail DIG and PRO Mukesh Prasad said this was the first time he had heard of this menace
