It's party time in Uttar Pradesh jails

Lucknow: It is that time of the year when celebrations are in the air and the VIP prisoners lodged in jails in Uttar Pradesh are making most of their freedom behind the bars when it comes to celebrating.

At present, there are about half a dozen MLAs, MPs and politicians who are languishing in the jails and for them, the New Year celebrations will begin and end in captivity.

Sources in these jails admit on condition of anonymity that preparations have already begun in right earnest to make New Year celebrations as memorable as possible for these VIPs.

In Lucknow jail, for instance, the VIP prisoners include former minister and Samajwadi MLA Amar Mani Tripathi and his wife Madhumani Tripathi. The two are accused in the Madhumita Shukla murder case and have been cooling their heels in jail since September when the Supreme Court cancelled their bail and ordered them back in.

The three other accused in the case Rohit Chaturvedi, Santosh Rai and Prakash Chandra Pandey are also lodged in Lucknow jail.

"It is more like a family affair for the Tripathi couple in jail. Amar Mani and Madhu Mani, along with the other three accused, live life kingsize inside the jail.

"Though we have not yet been informed of the plans, we have heard they are planning to usher in the New Year with a party in the quarantine barrack where Amar Mani is lodged.

"The former minister's children and brothers will also attend this party and food is being brought in from outside," said a junior jail official.

Independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari, meanwhile, is lodged In the Ghazipur jail along with brother in-law Eijaz Ansari and his elder brother Afzal Ansari who is also a Samajwadi party MP.

For the Ansari family too, the New Year eve celebrations will be a family reunion of sorts inside the jail.

Splurge
Home away from home for gangster

For notorious gangster Babloo Srivastava, New Year is a time to splurge on friends and foes alike.

The don, who has spent more than 11 winters in UP jails, had contested and lost the 2004 Lok Sabha poll.

"On every New Year, Babloo hands out heavy amounts of money to jail employees," says a close associate of the don.