Assam: A prison with no prisoners, Jonai’s jail turns into a haunted house

In a striking example of administrative negligence, a fully built prison in Assam’s Jonai region has remained abandoned for decades—earning the distinction of being one of the largest prisons in the state without a single inmate. What was once envisioned as a crucial law-and-order facility has now deteriorated into a haunted house, symbolising years of wasted public resources.

Situated at No. 3 Murkongselek under the Jonai subdivision, the prison was constructed nearly three decades ago using funds from the state govt. Shockingly, since its completion, not a single prisoner has ever been housed within its walls.

According to available information, the prison was established around 1990 after authorities recognised the need for a separate jail in the Jonai region, which was then a subdivision. Despite the completion of the facility with all required infrastructure, the prison was never made operational—a situation that continues even today.

Spread across nearly 52 bighas of land, the complex was designed with separate inmate cells, administrative offices, residential quarters for jail staff and officers, a secured compound, water supply facilities, and other essential amenities needed for smooth functioning. Yet, due to years of no use, the once-modern structures are now in a state of advanced decay.

After almost 35 years of abandonment, the main building and surrounding facilities are crumbling, with dense vegetation and wild growth engulfing the campus. Locals now describe the area as a “ghost prison”, raising concerns over safety, misuse, and the irreversible loss of valuable public property.

Although Jonai has since been upgraded from a subdivision to a full-fledged district, successive governments have failed to take any meaningful steps to activate the prison or repurpose the facility. This prolonged inaction has led to the unnecessary wastage of government assets worth several crores of rupees.

The issue has triggered strong reactions from local organisations and concerned citizens, who have criticised the authorities for allowing such a significant public investment to rot away. Many have demanded immediate intervention—either to make the prison functional or to utilise the infrastructure for other public purposes—before it is lost completely to negligence.

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