He won accolades for portraying the role of gangster Abu Salem in Anurag Basu's Gangster in his reel life. Little did Shiney Ahuja know that one day, in real life, he would be lodged in the same prison as Salem. Shiney is currently in judicial custody at the Arthur Road Jail in south Mumbai. He was arrested after he allegedly raped his maid servant at his Lokhandwala residence earlier this month.We take a look at a day in the life of Shiney in the prison:
Where does he stay?
Shiney is currently in barrack one which he shares with Dawood gang member Mustafa Dossa, an accused in the 1993 serial blast case and Saji Mohan, the first Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to be arrested in a drug case. Mohan was arrested for stealing and selling heroin earlier this year by the Anti-Terrorism Squad. Each barrack houses 50 to 60 inmates.
The actor allegedly keeps to himself and doesn't interact with anyone. There have been reports that he has been crying insolably since the time of his arrest.
His daily routine
According to sources, the actor's day begins at 6.30 am. After his daily ablutions at the common toilet, (no separate bathroom for him), like many inmates he too is served breakfast. The food is usually cooked and served by convicts. Breakfast comprises two pavs (bread), poha, a cup of milk or tea. Since the actor is an under trial, he is not liable to work in prison. He studies his legal papers or reads the various newspapers that are kept in the prison.
According to a jail official, currency is not allowed in the prison. "If an inmate wants to read a newspaper, he has to inform his kin. His family members then send the required amount via money order to the jail authorities, who then provide newspapers to the convicts." An inmate can buy daily essentials like cigarettes, soaps, biscuits, tea, milk etc from the jail canteen with a coupon. He can keep coupons worth Rs 1,500. Each coupon costs Re 1. This money, too, is sent in by family and relatives.
At 11.30, it's time for lunch, which usually comprises of six chapattis, dal, rice, vegetables and onions. This is followed by an early dinner at 3 pm. Dinner again consists of dal, rice, chapattis and veggies. All food is absolutely free of cost. "Inmates can have an early lunch between 3 pm and 4.30 pm. Most of them prefer to have it in their barracks later in the night."
After a final roll call at 5 pm, Shiny along with all inmates is sent to the respective barracks. Lights are out at 10 pm. Unlike his luxurious bedroom, Shiney has to make do just with two bed sheets and a pillow in his dingy barrack. There are no fans in the barracks as earlier quite a few inmates have used them to commit suicide.
Time for family
Shiney's wife Anupam can meet him only twice a week. "Family members and relatives can meet inmates only two days a week, that too after they enroll their names with the prison authorities between 10 am and 1 pm," says the jail official. After waiting for a couple of hours, the inmate's kin and relatives can finally meet him just for five minutes.
Shiney can spend five vital minutes with his wife not in the luxurious confines of a meeting room but a dingy corridor with a wire mesh that separates the inmates from their kin.
History of Arthur Road jail
Shiney is lodged in Arthur Road jail, the most crowded jail in the country, which houses some of the most dangerous inmates. The official capacity of the prison is 804 inmates, however around 2,500 inmates are lodged here. Current inmates Built in 1920s by the British, the Arthur Road jail is the most sensitive jail in the country.
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive after the 26/11 terrorist attacks, is housed in a separate highly-guarded cell here. After being extradited from Lisbon, Portugal in Nov 2005, gangster Abu Salem is housed in this high-security prison`.
The jail currently houses underworld don turned MLA Arun Gawli and his gang members, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's associates and the members of Chhota Rajan gang. It also houses Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit who was arrested in connection with the Malegaon 2008 serial bomb blasts.
Emile Jerome Matthew, a captain in the Indian navy and the main accused in the murder of Neeraj Grover, creative head of Synergy Adlabs is also housed here. Matthew, along with his girlfriend, actress Maria Susairaj had stabbed Grover and later burnt his body in 2008.
