Colors of the Cage

Prior information of officers’ transfers was crucial to predicting our treatment in prison and was often the subject of discussion. Due to archaic prison rules, the subjective whims of prison officials ruled our lives. The power of these officials permeated every aspect of our lives. For instance, only the jailer of the yard could permit an inmate to write more than the single letter per month stipulated in the manual. These discretionary powers made daily life in prison extremely arbitrary. While one jailer would allow a visit to the library, another would ask for the superintendent’s permission to be obtained. While one would allow books and magazines to arrive by post, the other would not. The same went for the superintendent of the prison. While one superintendent encouraged me to pursue academics, his replacement created numerous obstacles. Hence, a reasonable officer on duty was an essential condition for a relatively peaceful incarceration. Transfers of officers would always upset this status quo and force one to get attuned to the desires and tastes of the new man. The new jailer assigned to our yard in place of Taksande was a young man who was very soon nicknamed Dabangg. Like the Bollywood character he was named after, this officer regularly trotted around the yard with his sleeves rolled up, swinging his baton. This became even more pronounced if a female jail employee or inmate was in sight. Dabangg would, at the slightest opportunity to prop up his macho image, immediately move into action and pounce fiercely on the nearest hapless victim. This would also be with an eye on making a quick buck from those concerned. A mobile phone unearthed, contraband seized, an urgent message to be passed on or cash to be received meant that Dabangg would collect protection money from all those concerned. If someone needed to be taught a lesson in discipline, Dabangg would not hesitate to unleash his belt. His style of quick action and apparent justice through such dealings made him popular with many inmates, especially the ones who could pay. Each jailer has his own set of cronies, inmates who would do the deals for extracting money from the victim. When a particular jailer ruled, his cronies had a free hand. Officers’ transfers realigned and disturbed these relations too.