INMATES at a jail in southern India are eating so well many are reluctant to leave and other convicted criminals are trying to move in.
The Parappana Agrahara prison in Bangalore is crowded with 4700 inmates, more than twice its capacity, because petty criminals are refusing to apply for bail, the Bangalore Mirror says.
Juvenile offenders are also overstating their age to qualify as adults and get in.
The reason is the healthy food served by Hare Krishnas, who began serving pure vegetarian fare on May 21, under contract from the prisons department.
Lunch and dinner typically include piping hot rice, two vegetables and a spicy lentil dish called sambar and buttermilk. A dessert is added on festival days and national holidays like Independence Day, and also once a week.
"When we are getting tasty, nutritious food three times a day here, why should we go out and commit crimes?" said prisoner Raja Reddy, who has been arrested 20 times in 30 years for theft, robbery and burglary.
"Our going out of the prison will only benefit pawnbrokers who purchase stolen items at a throwaway price from us, advocates who fleece us to fight our case and the police who collect bribes." - AFP
SourceLabels: news
