Tuesday, Jun 04, 2013

Patna: Inmates lodged in a Bihar prison have turned apprehensive in view of a sudden increase in demand for Manila ropes which are used to hang prisoners on death row. It is believed that the President’s rejection of several mercy petitions of convicted prisoners has prompted an increase in demand for this rope.

Authorities said the Buxur Central Jail in Bihar which has the expertise to manufacture a special variety of Manila ropes has got an order from Allahabad jail to supply 10 such ropes immediately.

“We have already delivered six of the 10 ropes to the Allahabad jail authorities while the rest four will be delivered soon,” jail superintendent S.K. Ambastha told the local media on Tuesday.

The new demand for Manila ropes by Allahabad jail comes shortly after 18 such ropes were sought by various jails across India such as Haridwar jail (Uttarakhand), Naini Central Prison (Uttar Pradesh), Tihar Jail (Delhi) and Ambala Central Jail (Haryana). Jail authorities said the rope demands from these jails have already been met.

Buxur jail is one of the few prisons in India where Manila ropes are manufactured. Jail authorities said the inmates lodged in this jail are experts in preparing this rope after being imparted training by experts. These ropes are made from a special kind of thread, J-34 cotton yarn.

The inmates at Buxur jail make a variety of ropes, including tent ropes, handcuff ropes, hanging ropes or Manila ropes.

As per reports, a lot of hard work goes into the making of Manila ropes. First, the yarn is spun into thick thread from J-34 variety of cotton. Then, the thread is smoothened with a coat of soft wax. While making the ropes, the inmates take utmost care to ensure there are no knots in the thread.

According to jail officials, ropes supplied from this jail have been used in the execution of several convicted prisoners, such as Dhananjay Chatterjee who was accused of raping and killing a 14-year-old girl, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab who was involved in the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks and Mohammad Afzal Guru who was found guilty in the 2001 Parliament attack.

By Lata Rani Correspondent

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