As the Gangasagar Mela draws millions of pilgrims to Bengal’s sacred shores, Kolkata’s riverbanks once again transform into corridors of faith, fatigue, and fleeting refuge. Babughat and its adjoining areas bustle with makeshift shelters, volunteer kitchens, and aid camps where humanity often walks hand in hand with devotion. This year, however, Outram Ghat offered a scene that quietly disrupted stereotypes and stirred reflection.
Nine convicted prisoners from the Presidency Correctional Home were seen volunteering among the sea of pilgrims—offering water, administering first aid, guiding the lost, and distributing food. Dressed not in uniforms of custody but in the responsibility of service, they worked under the banner of a non-governmental organisation, embodying a rare and poignant experiment in reform.
The initiative is part of the correctional home’s rehabilitative framework. Of the nine prisoners selected, four are serving life sentences, while the remaining five are convicts with lesser terms. All were chosen for their good conduct and active involvement in humanitarian work within the correctional facility.
Necessary permissions were secured from the prison department before deploying them.
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Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma visited Outram Ghat to assess security and arrangements. He lauded the initiative. State Police ADG (Prisons) Lakshminarayan Meena, also present at the camp, underscored the deeper purpose of the programme. He said the selected prisoners had demonstrated exemplary conduct and that the initiative aimed to help reintegrate them into mainstream society through meaningful humanitarian engagement.
“They are happy. They see this as a pathway back to society,” he said.
For the prisoners themselves, the experience carried emotional weight. Vijay Barman, one of the volunteers, said the opportunity made him feel valued again. “It feels very good. I want to return to mainstream life like this. The correctional home has supported us a lot,” he said. Another inmate described the moment as overwhelming, noting that service beyond prison walls restored his belief that society was still willing to offer him a second chance.
Amid the clamour and chaos of the Gangasagar Mela, this quiet act of service sent a resonant message: that correction is possible, dignity can be reclaimed, and even those once cast aside can reconnect with society—not through words of repentance, but through acts of humanity.
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