Sabarmati Central Jail launches Radio Channel for inmates

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police introduced ‘Prison Radio’ initiative,  a radio channel dedicated to over 3,000 inmates of Sabarmati Central Jail on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on Friday. The radio will play songs, interviews, information bulletins and even a Programme of storytelling by the prisoners.

The Prison Radio’ station at Sabarmati Central Jail on Friday was inaugurated by KLN Rao, Additional Director General of Police and Inspector General Radio Jockey Dhvanit Thaker from Radio Mirchi channel around 9 am. The radio channel will be played in two time slots, one in the morning from 8 am to 12 pm and then again from 3 pm to 6 pm every day, based on the comfort of the prisoners, as per jail authorities. Every time a prisoner is released from Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad they will be sent off by a trumpet note and a farewell congratulatory message played by the jail’ ‘Prison Radio’ station.

KLN Rao, Additional Director General of Police said, “During this lockdown, we realized how frustrating it is to sit at home being cut off from the outside 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? There are over 3,000 inmates in our prison and every one of them has a story to tell. The radio station will allow them an opportunity to share their stories, about how the times spent here have brought a change in their lives or otherwise and what they aspire to be once they step out of the prison,”

Since 1851, Sabarmati Central Jail has been catering prisoners and is considered a site of heritage value as Mahatma Gandhi was also locked up in this prison from March 11, 1922 to March 20, 1922 due to ongoing struggle for India’s independence from the British. The Prison has over 72 kinds of products being produced by the inmates as part of the prison industry including the extremely popular Jail Bhajiya House.

“House itself has an annual turnover of Rs 1 crore and our inmates are dedicated towards their services. We are also trying to bring private companies to come to jail for placements under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme,” said Rao.