Maharashtra to begin ‘Jail Tourism’

The government of Maharashtra has decided to start a ‘jail tourism’ from the Yerawada prison of Pune. It will start on January 26, 2021. This initiative is being launched in the state with the aim of facilitating the people to visit and see the historical prisons in the state. This is being done as memories of many freedom fighters who were once imprisoned in the jail have been preserved. Some of the freedom fighter who were imprisoned in Yerawada jail under the British rule include Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Lokmanya Tilak, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose.

Yerwada Central Jail

It is a noted high-security jail in Yerwada, Pune. It is the largest jail in the state of Maharashtra. The jail is also the largest prisons in South Asia. It can house 5,000 prisoners. The jail was built in the year 1871 by the British. It is protected by protected by four high walls and has been divided into various security zones and barracks. It also comprises of egg-shaped cells for high-security prisoners. However, the jail is highly criticized for its overcrowding and poor living conditions.

Mahatama Gandhi In Yerwada Jail

Mahatma Gandhi had spent several years in Yerwada Jail during India’s freedom struggle in 1932. When he was imprisoned in the year 1932, he sat on an indefinite fast to protest against the Communal Award for depressed classes. He opened his fast after signing an agreement called the Poona Pact. Gandhi was released in May 1933. He was again imprisoned in the year 1942 during the Quit India movement.

Quit India Movement

The Quit India movement is also known as the August Movement or the Leave India movement. The movement was launched at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee in 1942 by Mahatma Gandhi. It was launched during World War II with the aim of ending the British rule in India.

Month: Current Affairs - January, 2021