Lok Sabha Question No. 1641 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-02
Subject: Suicide in Jails
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Umesh G. Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1641

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 02 ND  JULY, 2019/ ASHADHA 11, 1941 (SAKA )

SUICIDE IN JAILS

1641. DR. UMESH G. JADHAV:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  the  number  of  prisoners  committing  suicides/attempted  to  commit suicide in jails during the last three years, State-wise;

(b) whether there has been an increase in the number of such cases;

(c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and

(d) the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a): National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles prison statistics in its publication  'Prison  Statistics  India'.    Published  reports  are  available  till the year 2016. State/UT-wise details of prisoners who committed suicide in prisons during 2014 to 2016 are given in Annexure.

(b)  to  (d):  The  cases  of  suicide  in  prisons  during  2014  to  2016  do  not indicate any such trend. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has circulated a Model Prison Manual, 2016 to all States & UTs which, interalia,  has  chapters on 'Medical Care' and  'Welfare of Prisoners'  focusing on   health,   counseling,    mental    wellbeing,   psychotherapy,    cognitive

## L.S.US.Q.NO. 1641 FOR 02.07.2019

behavior etc. of prison inmates. Besides this, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued various advisories to States & UTs for taking care of the psychological health/needs of the prisoners. The Ministry of Home Affairs has  also  circulated  the  following  guidelines/documents  to  all  States  and UTs on 10.10.2017:

- i) The  monograph  prepared  by  National  Human  Rights  Commission (NHRC) entitled 'Suicide in Prison Prevention strategy and implication from human rights and legal points of view'.
2. ii) Guidelines on custodial deaths issued to all States &   UTs  by  NHRC from time to time.
3. iii) The  Nelson  Mandela  Rules  -  United  Nations  Standard  Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
4. iv) The  Guidelines  on  'Investigating  Deaths  in  Custody'  issued  by  the International Committee of the Red Cross.

'Prisons' and 'persons detained therein' are State subjects as per Entry 4 of List II of Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The administration and  management  of  prisons  is  the  responsibility  of  respective  State Governments.  The States and UTs have been asked to make all efforts to reduce and possibly eliminate unnatural deaths in prisons.

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## State/UT- wise Suicide of Inmates in Prisons during 2014-2016

| Sl. No.   | State/UT          |   2014 |   2015 |   2016 |
|-----------|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1         | ANDHRA PRADESH    |      2 |      6 |      4 |
| 2         | ARUNACHAL PRADESH |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 3         | ASSAM             |      1 |      2 |      1 |
| 4         | BIHAR             |      2 |      1 |      3 |
| 5         | CHHATTISGARH      |      2 |      0 |      0 |
| 6         | GOA               |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 7         | GUJARAT           |      3 |      2 |      3 |
| 8         | HARYANA           |      4 |      2 |      9 |
| 9         | HIMACHAL PRADESH  |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 10        | JAMMU & KASHMIR   |      2 |      0 |      1 |
| 11        | JHARKHAND         |      2 |      1 |      0 |
| 12        | KARNATAKA         |     15 |      9 |      3 |
| 13        | KERALA            |      3 |      0 |      4 |
| 14        | MADHYA PRADESH    |      3 |      4 |      4 |
| 15        | MAHARASHTRA       |      6 |      6 |      7 |
| 16        | MANIPUR           |      0 |      1 |      1 |
| 17        | MEGHALAYA         |      0 |      1 |      0 |
| 18        | MIZORAM           |      1 |      0 |      0 |
| 19        | NAGALAND          |      1 |      0 |      0 |
| 20        | ODISHA            |      1 |      2 |      3 |
| 21        | PUNJAB            |     10 |      4 |      8 |
| 22        | RAJASTHAN         |      6 |      2 |      8 |
| 23        | SIKKIM            |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 24        | TAMIL NADU        |      5 |      5 |      9 |
| 25        | TELANGANA         |      0 |      0 |      4 |
| 26        | TRIPURA           |      0 |      1 |      0 |
| 27        | UTTAR PRADESH     |     18 |      9 |     20 |
| 28        | UTTARAKHAND       |      0 |      2 |      0 |
| 29        | WEST BENGAL       |      9 |     10 |      6 |
|           | TOTAL (STATES)    |     96 |     70 |     98 |
| 30        | A & N ISLANDS     |      0 |      2 |      1 |
| 31        | CHANDIGARH        |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 32        | D & N HAVELI      |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 33        | DAMAN & DIU       |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 34        | DELHI             |      5 |      4 |      3 |
| 35        | LAKSHADWEEP       |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 36        | PUDUCHERRY        |      0 |      1 |      0 |
|           | TOTAL (UTs)       |      5 |      7 |      4 |
|           | TOTAL (ALL-INDIA) |    101 |     77 |    102 |

Source: Prison Statistics India