Click to play videoBhopal: He is behind bars in Patna for attacking mediapersons. But had Bihar MLA Anant Singh been jailed in the Madhya Pradesh capital, he may well have taken a course in journalism like the 67 inmates of Bhopal Central Jail who are now waiting for their certificates after completing the course.
Many of these inmates are serving sentences for crimes like murder and rape. Now, having discovered the power of the written word, many are eager to fight the rot outside.
"The Government should give us at least three months parole so that we can go out in the field and expose corruption,” says murder convict Brijesh Botham.
The inmates benefited from a two-month diploma course started by the Express Media Service, affiliated to the Makhanlal Chaturvedi University.
But there is confusion now on whether the inmates will receive their certificates after all. The University says it has not empowered anyone to issue certificates to prisoners.
"This has been brought to our notice. This is a very serious issue and they have not taken any permission from us and we definitely are going to take action against them,” says Vice Chancellor, Makhanlal Chaturvedi Journalism University, Achutanand Mishr.
Jail authorities say the course was aimed at creating employment opportunities for prisoners but with the University threatening to de-affiliate the institute that is running the course, inmates perhaps already have fresh opportunity to use words as weapons to fight their case.
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