 | |
| Location | Naini,India |
|---|---|
| Status | Open |
| Security class | High security |
| Capacity | 3,000[1] |
| Managed by | Uttar Pradesh Police |
Naini Central Prison orNaini Jail atNaini,Prayagraj, is one of the most importantcorrectional Institutions inUttar Pradesh, built during theBritish Raj.
The prison played a large role in the pre-independence era, when many freedom fighters, includingMotilal Nehru (1930), Pt.Jawaharlal Nehru (the firstprime minister of India),Govind Ballabh Pant,Narendra Dev,Rafi Ahmed Kidwai,Hasrat Mohani were imprisoned there duringIndian independence movement.[1][2] During his stay, Nehru wrote a series of letters to his young daughterIndira from the prison, starting on her thirteenth birthday until 9 August 1933. These were later published asGlimpses of World History.[3]
On 1 March 1941,Mahatma Gandhi visited the prison, to see imprisoned freedom fightersVijayalakshmi Pandit andAbul Kalam Azad.[citation needed]
Indira Gandhi herself (laterprime minister of India) was arrested along with her husbandFeroze Gandhi and spent her prison term in Naini, from 11 September 1942 until 13 May 1943.[4]
The prison has witnessed security concerns as it houses not just a few members of parliament, but sharpshooters and gang lords fromPurvanchal, including Sujeet Belwa and Rajesh Yadav, and rumours that gang wars were being raged from inside the prison. Many militants belonging to theJaish-e-Mohammad andLashkar-e-Taiba are also imprisoned here.[5][6]
In 2008, 97 prisoners who had already completed their sentences wrote to thepresident of India asking to beeuthanised.[7] That same year, 17 inmates died over a period of five months, and as many as 239 inmates were found to be suffering from ailments like tuberculosis, scabies and water-borne diseases, forcing the government to implement improved health services available to the incarcerated.[8][9]