Everything is available at the Barishal Central Prison for a price! Only, the cost is double. The inmates say that if one has money, one can live like a king in the prison. From sumptuous food to drugs, everything is available. Around ten to fifteen guards are in charge of collecting money from the inmates and selling narcotics, say a few inmates released recently.
All sorts of drugs are available and Phensidyl is supplied in empty cola bottles. Yaba, marijuana, sleeping pills are also available.
In exchange for a certain fee, an inmate is shown as sick and can be kept in the hospital.
For a certain amount handed to designated guards, better accommodation is arranged and top quality food is served in the prison hospitals, inform a few inmates.
As per the general menu, beef should be provided 4 days, mutton 1 day and chicken 5 days, though this is far from the real picture.
“The actual food quality is abominable; smelly rice, rancid vegetables and instead of cow’s milk, low-quality powder milk is dissolved in water and served,” said released inmates.
Well off prisoners order food from the canteen, this has a monthly sale of Tk 25-30 lakh.
For arranging a meeting with the prisoner, Tk 500 to Tk 5,000 is taken. It’s believed that high officials who collude in these aberrations earn up to Tk 10 lakh per month.
Super of Barishal Central Jail, Prashanta Kumar Banik denied all allegations, saying, “We are alert to prevent entry of all kinds of narcotics in the prison.”
The order has already been issued to improve food quality, he added.
Saying that in recent times no drugs were recovered, he added, a civilian cannot ascertain if a prisoner is sick or not, that is the duty of the civil surgeon.”