Prison Radio: On Gandhi Jayanti, Sabarmati Central Jail inmates get their own radio station

Prison Radio, a special radio channel for Sabarmati Central Jail inmates, was inaugurated by Dr KLN Rao, additional director general of police and inspector general (prisons), Gujarat Police, on October 2, 2020, to mark the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The channel will run from 8 am to 12 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm on a daily basis for the over 3,000 inmates of the jail.

Starting October 2, prisoners who have completed their jail term will walk out of Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central Jail to the sound of a trumpet and a farewell note that will be played on the Prison Radio station, reported the Indian Express.

The Prison Radio initiative was launched by the Gujarat Police. The radio station will broadcast storytelling sessions by jail inmates, Hindi and Gujarati songs, health updates, counselling sessions, interviews, and informative bulletins about government schemes that may benefit the prisoners.

Speaking about the initiative, Rao said, “During lockdown we realised how frustrating it is to sit at home being cut off from the rest of the world. Have we ever thought how tough it is for the prisoners who have spent years staying inside a prison, cut off from their families?"