Inmates are leading a normal life in 68 jails in Bangladesh, although the number of prisoners is double the capacity, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan has said.
“Nobody has yet been affected with diseases due to the cramming in the jails,” he said in Parliament in answer to a query on Wednesday.
The number of inmates in the jails was 66,443 until Dec 31 last year, Khan said, adding that total prison capacity was for 33,828 inmates.
The BNP had alleged its leaders and activists and those of its allies were being detained randomly.
Its chief Khaleda Zia had on Tuesday told a press conference that 29,262 leaders and activists of her party and allies had been detained during the one month before and after the 10th parliamentary election.
Many top BNP leaders had also been detained during the party’s agitation for a non-party caretaker government. Most of them have, however, already come out of jail on bail.
The housing capacity of the jails has increased and the number of inmates dropped since 2011. Besides this, the number of prisoners at that time was also more than what it is now.
The then Home Minister, Sahara Khatun, had on Feb 23 of 2011 told Parliament that the number of inmates stood at 69,500.
The total capacity was then for 29,240 prisoners.
The jails’ housing capacity has increased by around 4,500 inmates, though the number of the inmates has decreased in the last three years.
Source: Bd news24
