Vikram Singh Khimta treated life in continuity as he stepped out of Model Central Jail Kanda after acquittal by High Court in a crime earlier this month, for which he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a trial court in 2016.
“It did depress me initially. But my parents had faith on me. This helped me stay confident and positive in jail. I knew that I will get justice. The jail authorities have a big role in keeping me spirited in what I wanted to do,” Vikram Singh Khimta, 27, told The Statesman at the release of first issue of his monthly magazine on current affairs ‘Competition Companion’ on Tuesday by Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services, Somesh Goel.
Superintendent, Kanda Jail, Susheel Thakur, was also present at the release function at Book Cafe here, which is run by convicts.
Khimta, who kept preparing for civil services exams in jail, compiled this magazine in jail for other youth, who are preparing for all kinds of state exams, including civil services.
He had been a student of local convent school and has done post graduation in English and Geography from Himachal Pradesh University here. Khimta hails from upper Shimla district.
“I found jail the real reformatory. I did not waste a single minute and did not leave my routine,” he said. He used to read eight newspapers, including English dailies in the jail every day to keep himself abreast of the latest happenings.
“The prison authorities encouraged and facilitated me at every step, even in getting the magazine compiled and publishing it,” he said.
“That’s why I wanted that DGP, Somesh Goel should release the magazine.”
Outspoken, Khimta was one of the four jail inmates, who worked as Radio Jockey for the Radio Kara junction, a community radio, launched sometime back for the inmates of Kanda and Nahan jails.
“We were picked up by jail authorities for training of Radio Jockey by Big FM staff in Shimla, which helped me in improving my capacities,” he said.
Khimta, who wants to be an IAS officer, committed that he would love to be associated with prisons department in Himachal in future, whenever they would require his services.
DGP, Prisons and Correctional Services, Somesh Goel, who has done pioneer work in jail reforms in Himachal Pradesh, said, “We want to give opportunity to every prisoner do something constructive. Our objective is to make prisoners better human beings when they go out. We try to reform, by keeping them occupied.”
Goel, who was happy with Khimta’s appreciation of the reform-oriented environment in jail, said, “The feedback on our work in jails is very important. It is a kind of ACR Annual Confidential Report,” he said.