Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer

Sunetra Choudhury, Sunil Gupta

Description

What is life like inside Asia’s largest prison? What happens when a man is hanged, but his pulse refuses to give up even after two hours? Did Nirbhaya’s rapist, Ram Singh, commit suicide or was he murdered? For the first time we have a riveting account from an insider who has spent close to four decades as an officer at Tihar Jail during some of the most turbulent times in Indian political history. For the first time he breaks his silence about all he’s seen – from the first man he met in Tihar, Charles Sobhraj, to the controversies surrounding former CBI head, Alok Verma. Responsible for carrying out ‘Black Warrants’, Gupta witnessed 14 hangings, the most recent and his last, being that of Afzal Guru. Joining him is award-winning journalist Sunetra Choudhury whose recent book Behind Bars is a bestseller and took her deep inside the maze of prisons. Read this book for the most intimate and raw account of India’s judicial and criminal justice system.

Sujets

• police
• justice
• Law Enforcement
• Tihar
• Biography
• Behind Bars
• Afzal Guru
• Politics
• Non-fiction
• Capital punishment
• Autobiography
• Crime
• Charles Sobhraj
• India
• Court
• Prison
• CBI
• Administration

Informations

• Publié par: Roli Books
• Date de parution: 07 novembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9788194295914
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Sunil Gupta began working at Tihar Jail in 1981 and was later promoted to the position of spokesperson and legal advisor of the jail. Since leaving Tihar Jail, he has worked with the High Court and Supreme Court as an advocate and member of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, accomplishing much to improve India’s prison systems, from introducing Special Courts within the prisons to initiating video conferencing connections between jails and the court. He has also fought for gender equality within the prison system by ensuring that women are availed the same privileges of semi-open and open jail which are given to men. His efforts have earned him the India Vision Award for his achievements in the field of Prison Reforms and Administration. Gupta is the sole officer from the legal field to have received the President’s Correctional Medal for Meritorious as well as Distinguished Services. This is his first book.
Sunetra Choudhury started her career at the Indian Express newspaper where she headed the city team. Three years later she moved to TV news and joined NDTV. After covering the 2009 election campaign travelling across the country on a bus for two months, she wrote Braking News . Her latest book Behind Bars: Prison Tales of India’s Most Famous (2017, Roli Books) was the result of extensive interviews with high-profile inmates. In 2016, she received the Red Ink award and is the 2018 Jefferson Fellow. Most recently she is the recipient of Mary Morgan Hewett Award that recognizes the achievements of women journalists. Choudhury is currently the political editor at Hindustan Times .
 
In Praise of Behind Bars: Prison Tales of India’s Most Famous by Sunetra Choudhury
‘Based on extensive secondary research and detailed interviews with people who have spent time in jail as well as those who have worked in or on jails, Choudhury presents a series of stories which are nothing short of eye-opening – dare I say, even eye-popping – in their revelations.’
The Wire
‘Choudhury has a fluid writing style and makes her book a compelling read. However, you may not want to breeze through it and instead take your time in savouring these 13 stories.’
Khaleej Times
‘The author compels us to confront the agonies of people who are hauled up on charges of terrorism. But there are others too, who have been released and may be broken in body but not in spirit after several years inside. They come to life in these pages as evidence of injustice and failure of the system.’
Business Standard
‘… Behind Bars is a fascinating effort, especially since the book is dripped in palpable anger against the many privileges of the elite, even inside jails. In that, it is a first draft of a sociological mapping of contemporary India, its many immoral famous ones, its heart-wrenching cruelties, the many individual sacrifices and the hidden secrets of its wealthy and powerful.’
The Hindu
‘With unbelievable details of the life inside prison and the sorry state of hundreds of undertrials languishing in jails, this book questions the primary purpose of imprisonment – is it actually reform, punishment or just misusing the system we are a part of?’
Literary Yard
‘These are heartbreaking stories – as is much of the book. Prison is heartbreaking. There is no soft landing in Tihar, no matter who you are. No matter how rich and famous you may be, jail is a terrible experience.’
Biblio
‘This isn’t a book for the faint-hearted with its stomach-churning descriptions of filth and violence but it casts a strong light on an area of darkness. It will prick your conscience and invite you to reflect on the conspiracy of silence that accompanies the gross human rights abuse in judicial custody.’
The Open Magazine
‘With extraordinary details of the life inside prison and the sorry state of hundreds of undertrails languishing in jails, the book questions the primary purpose of imprisonment – is it actually reform, punishment or just misusing the system we are a part of.’
The Sunday Guardian
‘In clean and engaging language, rich with detail and well-chosen adjectives, the book presents interesting facts about jail food, extraordinarily sincere jail employees as well as corrupt and perverted ones, rituals such as mulakat – and more.’
Hindustan Times
‘Through Choudhury’s smooth-flowing narrative, the book makes for an easy read. Her commendable access and references to chargesheets, court orders, research studies reassure the reader of her credibility, and builds faith in her content.’
Deccan Chronicle
 
ALSO BY SUNETRA CHOUDHURY
Behind Bars: Prison Tales of India’s Most Famous
OTHER LOTUS TITLES Anil Dharker Icons: Men & Women Who Shaped Today’s India Aitzaz Ahsan The Indus Saga: The Making of Pakistan Ajay Mansingh Firaq Gorakhpuri: The Poet of Pain & Ecstasy Alam Srinivas Women of Vision: Nine Business Leaders in Conversation Amarinder Singh The Last Sunset: The Rise & Fall of the Lahore Durbar Aruna Roy The RTI Story: Power to the People Ashis Ray Laid to Rest: The Controversy of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Death Bertil Falk Feroze: The Forgotten Gandhi Harinder Baweja (Ed.) 26/11 Mumbai Attacked Harinder Baweja A Soldier’s Diary: Kargil – The Inside Story Ian H. Magedera Indian Videshinis: European Women in India Kunal Purandare Ramakant Achrekar: A Biography M.J. Akbar Blood Brothers: A Family Saga Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo The Sinking of INS Khukri: What Happened in 1971 Madhu Trehan Tehelka as Metaphor Manish Pachouly The Sheena Bora Case Moin Mir Surat: Fall of A Port Rise of A Prince Defeat of the East India Company in the House Of Commons Monisha Rajesh Around India in 80 Trains Noorul Hasan Meena Kumari: The Poet Prateep K. Lahiri A Tide in the Affairs of Men: A Public Servant Remembers Rahul Bedi The Last Word: Obituaries of 100 Indian who Led Unusual Lives R.V. Smith Delhi: Unknown Tales of a City Shrabani Basu Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan Shahrayar Khan Bhopal Connections: Vignettes of Royal Rule Shantanu Guha Ray Mahi: The Story Of India’s Most Successful Captain S. Hussain Zaidi Dongri to Dubai Thomas Weber Going Native: Gandhi’s Relationship with Western Women Thomas Weber Gandhi at First Sight Vaibhav Purandare Sachin Tendulkar: A definitive biography Vappala Balachandran A Life In Shadow: The Secret Story of ACN Nambiar – A Forgotten Anti-Colonial Warrior Vir Sanghvi Men of Steel: India’s Business Leaders in Candid Conversation
FORTHCOMING TITLES Brij Mohan Bhalla Kasturba Gandhi: A Biography Lakshmi Subramanian Singing Gandhi’s India: Music and Sonic Nationalism
 

 
ROLI BOOKS
This digital edition published in 2019
First published in 2019 by
The Lotus Collection
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Copyright © Sunil Gupta & Sunetra Choudhury, 2019
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With the blessings of Almighty and my parents,
this book is dedicated to my wife, Poonam,
who pushed me to do more and better. And to
my colleagues for restoring their faith in me.
 
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Prologue
1. Day 1: How Charles Sobhraj Secured My Job
2. Breakout of the ‘Bikini Killer’
3. Loneliness of a Jailer
4. The Crime that Changed Delhi Forever
5. The Anatomy of a Hanging
6. The Men who Killed Indira Gandhi
7. Death in Custody
8. Afzal Guru: The Final Act
9. Crusader in Jail: Anna Hazare
10. The Desperate World of Tihar
Epilogue
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I N THE 35 YEARS OF MY CAREER IN T IHAR , I HAVE LEARNT A LOT FROM all my seniors from time to time, but there are a few who deserve special mention. The first IG Prisons, post Charles Sobhraj escape, P.V. Sinhari was the one who taught me to face any situation bravely, no matter how complicated the situation might get. Kiran Bedi, who was posted in Tihar in the year 1993, was a source of inspiration who would always surprise me with her out-of-the-box and thoughtful ideas. She followed the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner’ and was a firm believer that a jail should be treated as a hospital for treatment of social deviants. She taught me to be intolerant towards any kind of injustice, no matter how influential the person imposing the injustice might be. Then came, R.S. Gupta who made me understand how important it was to work hard even if it meant working more hours. Ajay Agarwal, replaced R.S. Gupta, who was a mentor to me with whom I shared a very close bond. We didn’t just discuss official matters but even our personal lives. He always motivated me to take prompt decisions, helped me overcome indecisiveness. My next boss, B.K. Gupta, taught me ways to deal with the corrupt and the sycophants. Then came Neeraj Kumar who made sure that I took everything with due seriousness and maintained officer like qualities. It was Sudhir Yadav who inculcated in me the need to take the reforms to the next generation.
I have also been really lucky to have my daughter, Himani and my son, Angad solidly beside me through the ups and downs of my career. Without their support and love, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to fulfill the needs of my deman