Pune: Emotions ran high as prisoners of the Yerawada Central Jail met their children during ‘Gala Bhet’ program on Saturday.
Around 200 children got an opportunity to meet their fathers, mothers and grandfathers, since the prison authorities had allowed inmates to spend time with them. The authorities provided biscuits, chocolates, cakes and various bakery products made in the prison to the inmates to give to their children. Many inmates got to meet their kin after several years.
Snehal Bodke, whose father is undergoing life imprisonment, said, “I miss my father. When I embraced him, I felt the love for which I yearn every day. I will never forget this day. I want the authorities to organise such programmes every month, so that all family members can get to meet their relatives.”
The programme was first started at Nagpur central jail last year and due to a huge response, it has been replicated at all prisons.
“Every time we make some humane changes in the jail, we notice a subtle behavioural change in inmates. Being in prison is not the end of the world. There is immense scope for reform and we would like to give these men and women another chance to have a better life,” said Additional Director General of Police Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, who is the head of prisons department in the State.
Yerawada Central Jail Superintendent UT Pawar added, “We are getting several requests from prisoners, saying they want to hug their children and play with them. Usually, the inmates’ families (two members each) are allowed to meet them in prison every two months, for 15 minutes. But this interaction with children has a positive impact on a person. We are planning to organise a similar programme before Diwali.”
