A prison mapped by caste

The Centre has asked states and Union Territories not to segregate prisoners on the basis of their caste and religion and to stop assigning duties like managing prison kitchens according to the discriminatory approach.

How caste is an “endless battle” in Indian society?

• Discrimination and violence against Dalits are common with the caste hierarchy condemning them to the bottom of the social ladder.
• Despite laws to protect the Scheduled Castes (SC), abuse is frequently reported from across the country.
  • In Andhra Pradesh alone, 2,014 crimes against SCs were recorded in 2021, of which 33 were murders and 49 were cases of rape of minor girls.
• Shunned by many in society who call them ‘untouchable’, Dalits, particularly in villages, are discriminated against, denied access to land, forced to work in degrading conditions like in scavenging, and routinely abused, even killed, sometimes at the hands of the police and at times by people of upper castes.
• This entrenched form of societal segregation, often described as hidden apartheid, has led to the complete isolation of many villages along caste lines.
• The prevalence of caste-based violence in Indian society is a complex issue rooted in historical, social, and economic factors.

The in-discriminatory approach and required measures

• The jail manuals of some states provide for segregation of prisoners based on their caste and religion and they are being assigned duties in the prisons accordingly.
  • Composition: Two-third of prisoners in Indian jails are Dalits, tribals and from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 19% are Muslims and 66% of 4.66 lakh inmates are either illiterate or have not studied beyond Class X
  • Worse for women: Unlike the male prisoners, women are fewer in number and so are the provisions made available to them.
• Upholding Constitutional Principles: There is constitutional imperative to ensure equality and non-discrimination within prison facilities.
• Compliance with Model Prison Manual: The Model Prison Manual, 2016 serves as a guiding framework for prison administration, explicitly prohibiting any form of caste or religion-based discrimination. States and Union Territories are urged to act as per these guidelines.

When the rules themselves are casteist?

• Caste-based labour, in fact, is sanctioned in the prison manuals of many states.
• The colonial texts of the late 19th century have barely seen any amendments, and caste-based labour remains an untouched part of these manuals.
• While every state has its own unique prison manual, they are mostly based on The Prisons Act, 1894.
• These jail manuals mention every activity in detail – from the measurement of food and space per prisoner to punishments for the “disorderly ones”.