Kalyan jail

Uttar Pradesh

videoconferencing

Maharashtra prison

children

It was a tearful reunion for Bittu Tiwari (28), who is lodged inon charges of killing her husband, and her two sons aged 11 and 9, who live with their grandparents in, as they spoke to each other for the first time in eight years since her arrest viaon Monday. This was the first time in anythat an inmate communicated with his/her family member outside the state via videoconferencing.“We are trying to expand this facility so that more prisoners in Maharashtra prisons can communicate with their families living in other states,” Rajvardhan Sinha, inspector general of police (prisons) told TOI.Bittu was only 20 when she was arrested for allegedly setting her husband, Raju, on fire in 2011. Then, her elder son was three years old and the younger one only a year old. While the Vitthalwadi police initially registered an accidental death case, Raju’s elder brother filed a murder complaint and Bittu and her associate, Sanjay, was arrested. Her husband’s parents took her sons to their hometown in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district.Prayas, an NGO which has been working in Maharashtra prisons for the welfare of inmates, took up Bittu’s case in 2013. Social worker Aruna Nimse, along with colleagues Siddharth Dolas and Reena Jaiswal, went to UP to organise the videoconferencing. “We studied Bittu’s case in 2013 and presented it before the child welfare committee. There was a lot of paper work and we contacted all authorities possible. Finally, we got permission to carry out the communication between the mother and her two sons in 2019,” said Nimse. “Initally, Bittu’s in-laws did not want her to talk to her sons as she had allegedly killed their son. We met the pradhan of the town and convinced him to allow the videoconferencing after several talks. Later, he and other villagers spoke to the family and convinced them too.”After going through the case, the Gonda district magistrate agreed to allow the use of his office for the videoconferencing with Kalyan jail. Prayas officials said this was possible with the help of the child welfare committee. Thewere happy to see their mother, who they knew only through photographs in the family album, on the computer in front of them. “It was an emotional moment for all of us. Bittu initially broke down. After collecting herself, she asked her sons about their studies. The videoconference went on for 20 minutes,” said a source.Mangla Honawar, programme manager for the prisoners’ welfare and rehabiliation project, said they are studying more cases and will soon submit a report to the state government so that it appoints full-time social workers for this initiative. Varsha Kanikdale, project director, said they are working to connect more prisoners whose families live outside the state.