AMID the genteel chats before an exhibition at India International Centre (IIC), in Delhi, a silent screen outside the hall—displaying a presentation, attracting little attention—screams stories, pleas, and stats. “People on death row in India. 24.5%, Scheduled Castes. 76%, backward classes and religious minorities. 87%, those with no criminal record,” reads one such slide. “Chitrabhanu has been on death row for 20 years,” says another. “He made a noose from his handkerchief to understand how it might feel to be hanged.” Cut to: three large clocks whose minute hands sweep back and forth, mimicking the absurdity of time inside the closing walls of a prison. A block of text fades out the rightmost piece: “I’m an unwanted, unclaimed person who has spent double the time in jail as he has on the outside. Now all I ask is that I either be released, or killed.”
Organised by National Law University’s Project 39A, the presentation is part of an online exhibition (www.capitalletters.in) featuring art and letters by inmates on death row. Besides displaying them, the event includes performances by theatre artist Maya Rao and classical singer T M Krishna. Ten minutes before the scheduled start, a modest gathering has turned into a crowd, spilling more introductions, conversations, and laughs. Some attendees, standing near the front enclosure’s entrance, pore over the “prisoners’ ID cards” in a trunk. The flap cards, half the size of a palm, share more stories. “Chetan, Telangana. Born: 1986. Sentenced to death: 2021. Age at death sentence: 35,” says one of the covers. Its inside tucks a message by his mother underpinning his intellectual disability: “I do not think he even understands what a death sentence means or why he is being punished.”
Denne historien er fra October 21, 2023-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra October 21, 2023-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The 'Invisible' Dalits
The debate over sub-categorisation of castes is likely to shape the political discourse in the upcoming state elections
Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
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Mad Hatter
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Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
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The 69% Exception
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United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.