With little medical care, no inspections, information clampdown, the most prisoner complaints, it is no surprise that Punjab’s prisons record the second highest number of suicides.

There are as many reasons for a suicide as there are suicides. But clearly Faridkot jail provides just the conditions to push already anxious and vulnerable people over the edge. 

Earlier this month, 67-year-old Balkar Singh killed himself in Faridkot jail. The suicide is just the latest in a grizzly line of 60 that have taken place since 2013. This works out to almost two a month in just one jail. Nationally, Punjab has the highest prison suicide rate, second only to Karnataka. This points an unwavering finger at the conditions in that hellhole and the complete neglect and callousness of all those charged with the care of the prisoners who inhabit it. Read More