Bhupendra Singh, a life term convict for murder from Madhya Pradesh, regrets the crime he had committed 22 years ago and wanted to start his life afresh by opening a tea stall in Indore.
However, Singh, who has some more years to go before he completes his prescribed sentence, feels like a free man now itself, thanks to the open jail experiment being implemented in Madhya Pradesh.
Singh is one of the ten prisoners who were given flats to live in with their families in the Devi Ahilyabai Khuli Colony, the first open jail in Indore.
The open jails at Indore and Sagar were inaugurated on September 3.
Singh, a resident of Shajapur town, was handed life imprisonment in 1996. He had sepent time in different jails in the state since then, before he was selected for the open jail.
"I have some more time left to complete my sentence of life imprisonment. But after coming to the open jail, I am feeling that I am released now itself. I regret for the crime (Singh had killed a youth over a family dispute). Now, I wanted to lead a normal life," he told PTI Sunday.
Singh said he now has freedom to work outside in the open jail.
He is now planning to open a tea shop in the city.
Singh lives with his 35-year old wife Seema in the Khuli Colony. Their two sons are studying outside Indore.
Seema said they would get their sons admitted in a local school from the next academic session.
"I brought up my sons on my own as I lived away from my husband for years. Now we are happy to live together," she said.
District and Sessions Judge Rajiv Kumar Shrivastav has appreciated the open jail experiment.
"Many times, people commit serious crimes on spur of the moment. When such people are kept in normal prisons for a long time, they start rebelling against the social system and also develop negative feelings. The open jail is the best option for social restoration of such people which keeps them away from negative feelings," he said.
Justice Srivastava said, "When the prisoners are released after completing their sentences in open jail the society can easily accept them".
District Jail Superintendent Aditi Chaturvedi said the open jail experiment started in Madhya Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court.
"Life-term convicts who display good behavior are kept in these jails. Those selected for open jails are the prisoners who are going to complete their sentence in the next one to two years," she said.
Chaturvedi said the prisoners living in the open jails could work outside the premises from 6 am to 6 pm, but they are not allowed to go outside the city limits.
The jail administration has done its best to keep the atmosphere of open prison in accordance with its name.
"But we have deployed three guards to protect the prisoners and their families living in the open jail, besides for keeping other records," she said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
