Vision 2047 | How to halve Tihar Jail's inmate count over the next 24 years: DG Sanjay Baniwal

Delhi Central Jail Director General Sanjay Baniwal.

Every time prisoners walk behind the imposing walls of Delhi’s maximum security Tihar prison, they are stripped of their personality and dignity.

They know it is a jail, not a boutique hotel. Separation of families is the ultimate expression of state power, they understand within seconds.

All they see is the iron gates that open with a huge clank and close with a huge clank. Then, loneliness sinks in, so do the pain and challenges of being held apart from the family.

Jail binds a prisoner at three levels. Physical restriction comes first. Frustration of not being heard and the inability to get out comes next. And losing every luxury of life is third.

And then, it is for Tihar's superintendent Sanjay Baniwal to craft a story of hope, the world’s most powerful weapon. It is also the world’s most difficult job.

Baniwal has a unique vision: he wants to cut down the jail’s 25,000-odd population by half. It is a Herculean task.

“It can only happen if I offer hope so that they can nurture a new life. When an inmate comes inside Tihar, the person does not know if the man sleeping next (to him) is a murderer, rapist or a fraudster. I help them nurture relationships, I help them sustain deeply held convictions and beliefs. Everyone thinks bail will happen the next day. It doesn't,” Baniwal told Moneycontrol.

Hope for a new life

Inside Tihar, where the routine is horrible and the horrible routine, Baniwal, a 1989 batch IPS officer, routinely breaks bread with the prisoners. He says he is not a rude enforcer, like the ones portrayed in Bollywood movies. He works overtime to ensure a new life for prisoners. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

But he does not stop. Baniwal knows he will not serve Tihar - a 211-acre prison complex, South Asia's largest - forever. But he wants to set some ground rules. And he wants to put his seal on it.

On May 2, 2023, gangster Tillu Tajpuriya was brutally stabbed to death inside the prison by rivals. The murder prompted transfers of as many as 80 police officers from the jail.

“When such incidents happen, hope dies. And then, hope again rises the next morning,” says Baniwal. Prisoners then do not think of overflowing toilets, cramped cells and lawlessness. They are worried about last night’s incident. They cannot think of anything but a new life.

“I help them to recover and rise,” says Baniwal. “I tell them if they shun violence and live a peaceful and happy life inside the jail, they are already halfway through to victory.”

The prisoners know hope is the only weapon when everything else is lost.

Inside Tihar Jail, prisoners take hospitality courses dressed as chefs and baristas.

Women's prison: New order

In a jail meant for female prisoners, Sonu Punjaban sits in a corner, her face peaceful against the tumult of Tihar. She is serving a 24-year prison term for trafficking a young girl. Once, a court had observed: “Sonu Punjaban has no right to live in a civilized society, she has crossed all limits to be called a woman.”

Top female cops, Kiran, Raman, Anjana and Chetna sit around Punjaban, telling her to lead a life of peace, a life without violence and crime.

Does it work on hardened criminals like Punjaban?

“It does, we tell prisoners we are here to fight for a new order. We are here to offer them dignity,” say the female cops, adding the way in which prisons are seen in society also needs to change.

Bakery goods made in Tihar Jail. (Photo by Pulakit Singh via Wikimedia Commons 4.0)

Challenges and opportunities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have reiterated the importance of skill development programmes in prisons and said efforts must be made to cut down overcrowding. So, what will happen to Tihar when independent India turns 100?

The cops say they are working hard to push peace in a home of hardened criminals. It is going to be a long haul.

The process is not easy, many prisoners are stubborn and don't care if the cops talk about hope. They are often at each other's throat if asked to share their cells, sleeping space, or share something as small as onions.

But that's a risk Baniwal has already taken, he has to live with it and run with it. He talks of hope all the time.

“I told Kala Jatheri you have committed enough murders, now think of peace,” says Baniwal. Then he adds: “Will Kala Jatheri change? He is a violent person, transforming him is a huge challenge.”

Inside Tihar is Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri, a most-wanted gangster. He was arrested by Delhi Police from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, approximately 200 kms away from Delhi. Jatheri, who has allegedly committed many murders, is a confidant of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

"Hope is the only constant in his life," says a police officer.

Baniwal says for him it is a daily process to tell prisoners to change, reminding them of their crimes.

“I meet many prisoners. Many feel they have not committed any crime. It is then I tell the depressed father-in-law (convicted in a bride burning case) that he needs to introspect because it was he who bought the can of kerosene to dowse a woman who came into his home as a bride. Probably realization dawns on him. I do my job,” says Beniwal.

Things are changing inside Tihar despite its insurmountable challenges.

Prisoners are trained to handle catering assignments outside Tihar with permission from the courts, hospitality courses are held daily inside the jail complex. Prisoners are encouraged to dress like five-star hotel chefs and cook healthy meals. They operate imported machines to brew many variants of coffee. You can ask for a cappuccino, or a cortado.  Inmates have been told there will be job placement programmes soon. There will be a Tihar Idol like the popular Indian Idol. And there will be a FM station only to serve Tihar.

Yet, the fear of violence, the fear of death looms large. A sudden attack can happen anytime, and can be fatal. “The cops keep a close watch. The prisoners are locked up in the evening. I want to remove the impression that a prison is a very dark place. I meet them in the morning when gates open,” says Beniwal.

Then hope emerges. And it works in bits and pieces. Like it did when a top corporate came up to Baniwal. The prisoner was crestfallen, his riches stripped away. He was unable to reconcile that a person of his stature was in Tihar. He had a piece of paper in his hands, probably written to his daughter: "I do not know when I will return."

“He held my hands and wept inconsolably, looking for ways to reconcile,” adds Baniwal.

That is a big thing in Tihar. Hope must live, and continue to live.