Madras Central Prison

Last updated

Madras Central Prison
Chennai Central jail.jpg
A section of the Madras Central Prison before demolition in 2009
Madras Central Prison
Location Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates 13°04′47″N80°16′22″E / 13.07974°N 80.272915°E / 13.07974; 80.272915
StatusDemolished
Opened1837
Closed2009

Madras Central Prison was one of the oldest prisons in India. It was located in Chennai (formerly Madras) in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It became operational during the British Raj period. Its prisoners were moved to the newly constructed Puzhal Central Prison starting in 2006, with the 172 year old prison being demolished in June 2009. [1]

Contents

History

Madras Central Prison was one of the oldest prisons in India. It was started during British rule in 1837. It was initially called the Madras penitentiary until 1855 when it was renamed to Central Jail. [2] It was originally built to house transit convicts who were to face the 'sazaye kaala paani' in Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and constructed at the cost of Rs 16,496 on 11 acres (45,000 m2) of land. [3]

It is said that the call for independence found its echo more in the Madras Presidency than elsewhere in the princely States. Many of those freedom fighters were arrested and lodged here; it is said a few of them died in custody. [4]

There were 1,778 prisoners in the prison as of January 2002, of which 500 required to be produced in different courts in Chennai and mofussil (rural) areas including Tiruchi, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli. [5]

Notable prisoners

Abandoned corridors of the Madras Central Prison pictured in 2009 Corridors of central jail.jpg
Abandoned corridors of the Madras Central Prison pictured in 2009

The prison housed Subhas Chandra Bose during the days of independence movement. C. N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and leader of Dravidian Movement was housed here for his Anti Hindi agitations. [4] The prison also housed former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi and chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalitha during the trial involving corruption cases. [6] Also, several international figures, including LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, Maoist leader of Nepal, Chandra Prakash Gajurel were imprisoned here. [4]

1999 riots

In 1999, some of the inmates rioted following the death of an inmate named Boxer Vadivelu. They set fire to a room where the assistant warden had taken refuge. Riot police were called in to contain the riots; the police initially used tear gas to quell the rioters, before resorting to live ammunition. In the battle which ensued between the inmates and the riot police, 10 people, including a prison official, were killed, while more than 100 people were injured. [7]

Relocation

The Madras Central prisoners were relocated to Puzhal Central Prison in Puzhal in 2006 and the vacant property was handed over to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) for revenue augmentation purpose in 2008. The cost of the 13-acre (53,000 m2) land was estimated conservatively at Rs. 4.75 billion. [8] Demolition of the buildings began on 14 June 2009. [9]

New buildings for Madras Medical College

In 2010, a new campus with a six-storeyed building for Madras Medical College was built on a land covering 325,000 sq ft on the prison premises and was completed in 2012 at a cost of ₹ 566.3 million. The campus will have nearly 1,250 students and 400 faculty and staff members. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennai</span> Capital of Tamil Nadu, India

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Chennai is the sixth-most populous city in India and forms the fourth-most populous urban agglomeration. Incorporated in 1688, the Greater Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal corporation in India and the second oldest in the world after London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marina Beach</span> Beach in Chennai, India

Marina Beach, or simply the Marina, is a natural urban beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Bay of Bengal. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of 6.0 km (3.7 mi), making it the second longest urban beach in the world, after Cox's Bazar Beach. It is a prominent landmark in Chennai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort St. George</span> Fort in Chennai, India

Fort St. George is a fortress at the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally an uninhabited land. Thus, it is a feasible contention to say that the city evolved around the fortress. The fort currently houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly and other official buildings.

Vellore Central Prison is a prison in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Chennai Corporation</span> Local government of Chennai City

Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is a local government for the City of Chennai in the Chennai Metropolitan Area of Tamil Nadu, India. Inaugurated on 29 September 1688, under a royal charter issued by King James II of England on 30 December 1687 as the Corporation of Madras, it is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside Great Britain. It is the largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu with an area of 426 km2. It is headed by a mayor, who presides over 200 councillors, each of whom represents one of the 200 wards of the city. It is the second oldest corporation in the world after the City of London. The city limits, which had been expanded several times over the years, is currently coterminous with the Chennai district. It is one of the four municipal corporations located within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, the other three being the Tambaram Corporation, Avadi City Municipal Corporation and Kanchipuram Municipal Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambattur</span> Neighbourhood of Chennai, India

Ambattur is a northwestern part of Chennai, India. It is located in Ambattur taluk of the Chennai District, surrounded by Avadi, Anna Nagar, Korattur, Padi, Mogappair, Kallikuppam, Surapet, Ayappakkam, Athipet and Thiruverkadu. It covers an area of 40.36 km2 (15.58 sq mi). The neighbourhood is served by Ambattur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway. Ambattur has its origins in a village of the same name which can be located at present as areas opposite to Ambattur telephone exchange. Ambattur was a village with large extents of agricultural farm lands irrigated by the once-sprawling Ambattur Lake. In 2011, the neighborhood had a population 466,205.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras Medical College</span> Medical school and hospital in Chennai, India

Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cholavaram aeri</span> Reservoir in Tamil Nadu, India

Sholavaram aeri, or Sholavaram lake, is located in Ponneri taluk of Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the rain-fed reservoirs from where water is drawn for supply Chennai city from this lake to Puzhal lake through canals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Chennai)</span> Multipurpose stadium in Chennai, India

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Chennai, India. The stadium is located at Sydenhams Road in Park Town besides the Chennai Central suburban railway station. It has a capacity of 40,000.

Madhavaram is a neighbourhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located in the northern part of Chennai, it is also a taluk in Chennai District and a zone in Greater Chennai Corporation. It is located in between Perambur and Kodungaiyur. As of 2011, the neighbourhood had a population of 119,105. The Chennai district was expanded on 16 August 2018 by transferring Madhavaram taluk from Tiruvallur district to Chennai district.

Pulhal is a Northwestern residential town in Chennai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pulhal is located on the banks of Pulhal Lake. The town is known for Pulhal Central Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi</span> 1991 massacre in Sriperumbudur, India

The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former prime minister of India, occurred as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, India on 21 May 1991. At least 14 others, in addition to Gandhi and the assassin, were killed. It was carried out by 22-year-old Kalaivani Rajaratnam, a member of the banned Sri Lankan Tamil separatist rebel organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). At the time, India had just ended its involvement, through the Indian Peace Keeping Force, in the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Chennai is home to many educational and research institutions. IIT Madras, located in South Chennai is considered as the premier centre of engineering education in India. Anna University and the University of Madras are the oldest state owned universities which are ranked among the best universities in India. The College of Engineering, Guindy and Madras Institute of Technology, which are the constituent college of Anna University along with Alagappa College of Technology are the pioneer institutes of engineering education in India. Some of the oldest medical colleges India, the Madras Medical College (1835) and Stanley Medical College (1938) are located in the city. Notable, liberal arts colleges in the city include Loyola College, Madras Christian College, Presidency College, Stella Maris College, Women's Christian College and Ethiraj College for Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Town, Chennai</span> Neighbourhood in Chennai District, Tamil Nadu, India

George Town is a neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is near the Fort Saint George, Chennai. It is also known as Muthialpet and Parry's corner. It is an historical area of Madras city from where its expansion began in the 1640s. It extends from the Bay of Bengal in the east to Park town on the west. The Fort St. George is on the south, to Royapuram in the north. The Fort St. George houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat. The High court of Tamil Nadu at Chennai, Dr. Ambedkar Law College, Stanley Medical College and Hospital are located here.

"Welding" Kumar was an Indian criminal from Chennai, who gained infamy for an attack on a lawyer for which he was sentenced to life in prison. He was later killed in Puzhal Prison during a fight with other inmates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulhal Central Prison</span> Prison in Chennai, India

Pulhal Central Prison is a central prison complex located in Chennai, India. It is about 23 km from the city centre. The prison became operational from 2006 replacing the erstwhile Chennai Central Prison.

Coimbatore Central Prison is a prison located near Gandhipuram bus stand in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The prison was constructed during the Madras Presidency year 1872. It is located in an area comprising 167.76 acres (0.6789 km2). The prison is authorized to accommodate 2208 prisoners. The freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaram Pillai was confined in this prison during the freedom struggle from 9 July 1908 to 1 December 1910.

Old Jail Road is one of the peripheral roads that border the historical neighbourhood and commercial centre of George Town in Chennai, India. The road marks the northern boundary of the neighbourhood and is officially divided into three, namely, from west to east, the Basin Bridge Road, the Old Jail Road, and the Ibrahim Sahib Street. The road joins the Grand Northern Trunk (GNT) Road at the Wall Tax Road–GNT Road junction in the west and the Rajaji Salai in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras High Court</span> High court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu

The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is one of the oldest high courts of India along with Calcutta High Court in Kolkata and Bombay High Court in Mumbai. The Madras High Court is one of four charter high courts of colonial India established in the four Presidency Towns of Madras, Bombay, Allahabad and Calcutta by letters patent granted by Queen Victoria, dated 26 June 1862. It exercises original jurisdiction over the city of Chennai, as well as extraordinary original jurisdiction, civil and criminal, under the letters patent and special original jurisdiction for the issue of writs under the Constitution of India. Covering 107 acres, the court complex is one of the largest in the world, second only to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The four-storey administrative building attracts hundreds of litigants every day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamil Nadu Police Museum, Chennai</span> History museum in Tamil Nadu, India

Tamil Nadu Police Museum is a museum in Chennai, India. Located in Pantheon Road in the neighbourhood of Egmore, the museum was opened in September 2021. The museum has a repository of exhibits marking the passage of the state's law enforcement agency from colonial India to the modern day.

References

  1. ↑ "150-yr-old Central prison closed for good". Times of India. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  2. ↑ "Prison building demolition proposal forwarded to government". The Hindu . 20 January 2009. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  3. ↑ "Chennai set to lose a slice of its history". Express Buzz. 20 June 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 "After 172 years, Madras Central Prison sent to the gallows". Indian Express. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  5. ↑ Subramani, A. (20 January 2002). "Chennai Central Prison officials in a fix". The Hindu . Chennai. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Central prison to become history". Deccan Chronicle. 20 January 2009. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  7. ↑ "Inquiry into Madras prison riot". BBC News. BBC. 18 November 1999. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  8. ↑ "Chennai Metro Rail Ltd to develop prison land near Park Station". The Hindu. 28 February 2008. Archived from the original on 15 March 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  9. ↑ "Demolition of Central Jail begins". Dina Mani. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  10. ↑ Lakshmi, K. (29 May 2013). "Skywalk between GH, new MMC campus proposed for easy connectivity". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.