LAHORE – As Eidul Azha draws near, the jail authorities are collecting ‘Eidi’ from the visitors under duress all over the province, thanks to the provincial hierarchy for keeping mum over the situation.
The complainants disclosed to TheNation on Thursday that from jails Warders to Superintendents all officials are busy in collecting their shares since a great number of people are arriving at jails to see their relatives or family members, imprisoned in the jails across the province.  The rush of visitors at the jail has swelled to manifold as they are desperately visiting the facilities to meet their family members on this occasion.
Muhammad Khan, a visitor at the Camp Jail, told this reporter on Thursday that every visitor had to pay Rs 500 to meet a prisoner. Otherwise, he is denied access to enter the jails to meet his/her relative, he added.
He further revealed that the jail authorities are also collecting at least Rs 200 from the prisoner to allow them to talk to their families by using cellular phone.
Bashiran Bibi, a resident of Raiwind City, said that she had to pay Rs 500 to the jail official to meet her eldest son imprisoned in the jail on murder charges. She said that the jail officials also took away food items, which he had brought to serve her son. 
According to sources, an ‘Eidi collection’ campaign has been launched on the verbal directions of Jail Superintendents, who are also getting their due shares on daily basis.
Insiders believed that the daily income being collected in the name of Eidi is worth lakhs of rupees and the amount is also distributed among senior officers as well.
Mumtaz Bibi, a resident of Iqbal Town, said that the jail warders allowed her to hand over food items and garments to her husband in the jail after collecting Rs 1000 from her. 
When contacted, a senior official confirmed that they had received complaints regarding the collection bribe from the visitors. He said that two jail Warders and one Assistant Superintendent Jail has been suspended from their services on Thursday on such complaints. Inspector General of Prisons has also ordered departmental inquiry against the officials found involved in receiving bribe from the visitors under duress.