Undertrial’s Suicide in Taloja Jail Highlights Alarming Rise in Custodial Deaths Across Maharashtra

The suspected suicide of an undertrial prisoner at Taloja Central Jail on Sunday — accused in the sexual assault and murder of a minor girl in Kalyan East — has once again thrown a spotlight on the growing crisis of inmate suicides within Maharashtra’s prison system.

This latest incident adds to a grim tally that has seen over 70 suicides in state prisons over the past 13 years.

According to official records, Maharashtra reported 129 unnatural deaths in its prisons between 2010 and 2022.

Disturbingly, more than half of these — around 70 — were registered as suicides, underlining an issue that has shown little sign of improvement despite repeated warnings from human rights bodies.

What’s even more concerning is the recent surge in such incidents. Nearly 35% of all inmate suicides during this period were recorded in just three years — from 2020 to 2022 — pointing to a deepening crisis exacerbated by pandemic-era isolation, overcrowding, and limited mental health resources.

The problem isn’t new. As early as 2014, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had raised alarm bells about the growing frequency of suicides in Indian prisons, prompting it to commission an in-depth study on the issue.

The resulting report, titled Suicide in Prison: Prevention Strategy and Implication from Human Rights and Legal Points of View, identified two major factors behind the trend: the psychological strain created by the custodial environment itself and personal crises faced by inmates, particularly those awaiting trial.

The study outlined how the prison atmosphere often worsens feelings of despair, with inmates struggling under the weight of isolation from family, the stigma of imprisonment, an uncertain future, and the psychological pressure of living under an authoritarian and often dehumanizing system.

One of the most alarming revelations from the NHRC study was the heightened suicide risk faced by undertrials — detainees awaiting trial — who were found to be 10 times more likely to take their own lives than the general prison population.

Even convicted prisoners, the report noted, were three to six times more vulnerable to suicide compared to the average citizen.

Although the NHRC had outlined a series of recommendations nearly a decade ago to address this issue — including better mental health support, improved monitoring systems, and reforms in prison conditions — the rise in custodial suicides suggests that much of this advice went unheeded.

In June 2023, acknowledging the continued increase in prison suicides, the NHRC issued a fresh 11-point advisory urging state governments and prison authorities to strengthen preventive measures.

The advisory emphasized not only enhancing security and monitoring but also addressing the mental health needs of inmates.

Among the measures recommended were expanding the prison staff to include more welfare officers, psychologists, medical professionals, and probation officers.

The NHRC also suggested regular mental health literacy training for jail staff, setting up specialized suicide prevention teams including inmates trained to offer psychological first aid, and implementing a ‘buddy system’ for at-risk prisoners.

Other suggestions included deploying advanced surveillance in vulnerable areas, training select inmates in CPR and first aid to respond to emergencies, and improving family visitation protocols to help maintain emotional support systems for prisoners.

However, prison officials, speaking off the record, admit the situation is complex and cannot be solved through surveillance and staffing alone.

The root causes — including overcrowding, prolonged undertrial detention, stigma, and the lack of structured mental health intervention — continue to make Maharashtra’s jails particularly prone to such tragedies.

The recent Taloja Jail suicide underscores the urgency of implementing not just technical safeguards but also humane, mental health-centered reforms to prevent further loss of life behind bars.