Of whispering gallows where fear was the key

Of whispering gallows where fear was the key
The Bangalore Central Jail has been earmarked to be converted into a freedom park. Blueprints have been drawn and await the government’s green signal.
Deccan Herald

Opening the small door which is a part of the main gate, a huge man steps out, looks back and sternly says, “ keep it open, I will be back soon.” Under cover of a dark night, wrapped in black blanket two men sneak out from the jail building and with the aid of a rope, they jump the jail wall. The siren screams a warning and the jail authorities chase the absconders. These familiar scenes have thrilled audiences, in the mid ‘80s genre of cinema.

The Bangalore Central Jail was a favourite shooting spot in those days, now popularly known as Old Central Jail. The most popular Hindi movie Gerafthar, starring Amitabh, Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan was one of the hundreds of movies which have been shot on the jail premises.

The jail was built in the year 1865 (eight years after the Sepoy Mutiny). The 19 acre space of a Veera Shaiva Temple was given to the British for the construction of the jail.This jail had not only sheltered murderers and pick pocketers, even our former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his adjutant L K Advani, former PM H D Deve Gowda, late CM Ramakrishna Hegde and many other politicians were jailed here in the late 1970s during the infamous National Emergency.

Many critics of the ruling party at various times were also jailed here. “Most of the inmates of the jail found life easier in jail than out,” says DIG B S Abbai, Deputy Director of Prisons.

The life of prisoners has seen a sea change after a number of new legislations have been passed. Apart from having a well stocked library, a TV has been provided to all the cells in 1993 and since then a cable connection has been added to their entertainment, in 1997.

As there is no age barrier for education, the inmates here have proved that if given the opportunity they can educate themselves. “In 1992 the Indira Gandhi National Open University offered various courses to the inmates and many graduated with basic degrees. Later on the Karnataka State Open University too offered them larger opportunities. Soon private institutes joined in offering computer and hygiene courses”, he adds.

“After the murder of Balram, a rowdy inside the jail premises, the jail was equipped with modern security equipment. As the population in the city increased, the crime rate increased and the jail which could accommodate only 800 inmates became overcrowded. A new spacious jail for the lawbreakers was built at Parapana Agrahara on the outskirts of the City. A decision was taken in 2001 to shift the prisoners to their new home in phases and this was a tense period for the management. Proper planning and eagle eyed vigilance made the job of shifting them hassle free, adds Mr Abbai.

When plans to convert the old jail into a freedom park were floated, it became a hot topic of discussion among Bangaloreans. A totally transparent All-India Contest (Freedom Park competition) was organised by BMP and the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) and architects submitted their ideas for the plan.

The competitors were short-listed to five and the final plan of Mathew and Ghosh Architects, a Bangalore-based firm, was approved. It was a Rs five crore plan to bring in an amusement park, which will be a landmark in the City. The jail was open for public to see the interiors and the new plans Around August 2004, the Old Bangalore Central Jail was completely demolished. Structures a century and a half old were reduced to rubble in three months.

Creepers and bushes have crept all over the place now. The compound wall, the gallows, the centre wall and the watch tower are the only structures remaining, as they are the part of the new plan. But till now the plan is only on paper and awaits a sanction to be started.