Patna- As the world prepares to observe Human Rights Day on December 10, journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh, currently imprisoned in Bihar's Beur Central Jail, has issued a poignant appeal highlighting the dire state of human rights for inmates. Speaking via the jail's STD phone on December 6 to his wife Ipsa Satakshi, Singh shared his message, which she conveyed to The Mooknayak. Drawing parallels between global conflicts and domestic injustices, Singh described prisons as a "hellish system" and urged activists and media to amplify the voices of those behind bars.

In his appeal, Rupesh Kumar Singh stated, "On the upcoming December 10, Human Rights Day will be celebrated worldwide at a time when human rights are under relentless attack everywhere. In Palestine, Israel is daily trampling human rights with America's backing, while in Ukraine, Russia is doing the same. We can say that today, there is no country in the world where human rights violations are not occurring, and no place without struggles against such infringements."

Turning to India, Singh lamented, "In our country, thousands of human rights violations happen daily. Those who raise their voices in favor of human rights are thrown into jails or killed in fake encounters to deter anyone else from speaking out." Recalling his own arrest, he added, "As you know, I was arrested on July 17, 2022, and have been in jail since July 18. Based on my long prison experience, I can say that the most severe human rights abuses today are happening inside jails."

Having been held in six jails across Bihar and Jharkhand, Singh exposed systemic failures: "Inmates do not receive food or other facilities as per the jail manual. Due to poor healthcare, many die prematurely, while others become disabled. With prisons overcrowded to double capacity, even basic activities like sleeping, using the toilet, or bathing become ordeals. Jail officials consider beating inmates with sticks, abusing them verbally, and hurling insults as their birthright. Corruption and bribery have permeated every vein of the prison administration."

He warned that inmates who protest this hellish setup are transferred to other jails, where they are met with hundreds of lashes at the gate. As a prisoner himself, Singh appealed to those marking Human Rights Day: "In your programs, please raise your voice for us jail inmates as well."

Rupesh Kumar Singh is being held as an undertrial prisoner in the high-security cell of Beur Central Jail. His wife, Ipsa, told The Mooknayak that this appeal was expressed during a routine jail phone conversation. Human rights organizations have welcomed the message as a crucial step toward prison reforms. Will the government heed this call? The question now hangs in the air.