teachingemails

One can't get even a chai for three rupees,

but the government does not pay more

than this to take care of all the needs of

a detainee in a police station.

This amount should cover the detainee's

breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Even to claim this amount,

there is so much procedure that

the police stations have stopped

claiming the money altogether

On an average, the police spend about

Rs 35 to Rs 40 per day

on a prisoner in the cell.

There is a law preventing the relatives

of the detainees from providing them with lunch or

dinner.

There are more than 60 police stations

in the Hydrabad city and on

an average each police station will have

25 to 30 detainees in a month.

Police stations in the areas like

SR Nagar have even more detainees

due to their vast jurisdiction.

Once a person is arrested,

he has to be produced in a court within 24 hours.

But normally, the police take up to a week

to complete their interrogation.

According to a police official,

the police stations in the city have

almost stopped claiming the expenses.

Most of the time the accused get food

and water from their family members and

relatives.

Otherwise the police themselves bear

the expenditure.

"We cannot do anything with Rs 3.

We don't get even a chai with that money these

days.

In the wake of the hike in prices

of all commodities, the authorities

concerned should take appropriate action," he said.

One can imagine the plight of the

police during communal tensions

and before some festivals like Vinayaka Chavithi.

During these days police pick up suspects

much in advance as a precautionary measure.

"We have to feed them and also provide medical

treatment,

if needed, till we produce them in the court," he

laments.