The on-camera murder of gangster Atiq Ahmed last Saturday, while in police custody, shocked the entire nation. He had numerous criminal cases registered against him and he spent a major part of his life in various jails of India. A little-known fact about Atiq is that he was once incarcerated in Mumbai as well. His experience at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail turned out to be different from other prisons where he spent time. The administration of Arthur Road Jail surprised him.
It was 2006, and the Samajwadi Party’s Mumbai unit had organised a “Jail Bharo” agitation at the Gateway of India to protest against then CM Vilasrao Deshmukh. Atiq Ahmed, who was the party’s Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh, joined the protest. The Mumbai Police detained around a hundred protestors, including the party’s state chief Abu Azmi and Atiq Ahmed, and all were sent to the Arthur Road Jail.
The prison was constructed in 1926 by the British and is one of the oldest and most overcrowded jails in the city. It has the capacity to house 800 inmates, but at any given time, more than 3,000 undertrials are lodged here. Many freedom fighters were incarcerated here, and the prison finds a mention in Gregory Robert’s famous book Shantaram.
When Atiq was brought to the jail, Swati Sathe was its superintendent. Known to be a disciplinarian, Sathe holds an image of being a strict and upright prison officer. She never extended any special treatment to her detainees on the basis of their social status and political power. Inmates like Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Shaini Ahuja, and others had to live like a regular prisoner during her tenure. When Atiq Ahmed was brought to the jail, she kept him and Abu Azmi together in Circle No. 1 of the jail, where mostly political prisoners were kept. All other Samajwadi Party workers were kept in different cells. Atiq demanded special privileges from her on the basis of being an MP. He told Sathe that he wants to keep his khansama (cook) along with him and would not eat the jail food. Sathe flatly refused. An enraged Atiq reportedly shouted: “What kind of prison is this? I have been to other prisons as well, but nobody dared to behave with me in this manner?”
And Sathe famously retorted: “You thought that Mujra will be happening in this jail? If you misbehave, then I will put you in Anda Cell.”
Anda cell was an oval-shaped high-security cell where even sunlight couldn’t reach. Abu Azmi, who was aware of Sathe’s reputation, pacified Atiq and advised him not to mess with her.
For two nights, Atiq had to sleep on the floor and had to eat the same food that other inmates ate. He had to follow all the routine of the jail. The undertrials of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts were also lodged in the same jail. When Atiq got to know this, he desired to meet them, but Sathe denied permission. During those two days, Atiq observed how Sathe was running the jail by adhering to the rules, and no indiscipline or corruption was tolerated. He was known to have been impressed by Sathe’s no-nonsense and strict attitude.
After securing bail, when Atiq was about to be released, he met Sathe at her office and complimented her. “Jail should be like this. We are badmaash people who live in jail as we want with our money power. But officers like you are needed in the jails of Uttar Pradesh,” said Atiq. He also offered to put stalls at fairs in Uttar Pradesh where the products made by inmates of the Arthur Road Jail could be sold. Sathe politely told him that such a call could be taken only by the government.
Apart from Atiq, many other politicians such as Chhagan Bhujbal, Sameer Bhujbal, Anil Deshmukh, Nawab Malik and Sanjay Raut, have spent time in the Arthur Road Jail.
(Bombayphile is published every Saturday where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and present of Mumbai.)
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