This comparison of prison cells related to Savarkar, Gandhi, and Nehru is misleading - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 2, 2022
A collage of a few photos is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the difference between the prison cells of Savarkar on one hand, and Gandhi and Nehru on the other hand. The prison cells are being compared and it is being claimed that while Gandhi and Nehru got VIP facilities, Savarkar got none. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Comparison of prison cells – while Gandhi and Nehru got VIP facilities, Savarkar got none.
Fact: The posted pictures are true [Cellular Jail (Savarkar between 1911-21), Ahmednagar Fort Jail (Nehru between 1942-45), and Aga Khan Palace (Gandhi between 1942-44)]. However, the comparison of prison cells made in the post is misleading. Savarkar was moved to the Cellular jail as he attempted an escape and was sentenced to 50 years in prison (two life terms). But Nehru and Gandhi did not receive any such sentence, they were only arrested in connection with the Quit India movement. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Savarkar:
The posted photo is related to Savarkar’s cell at the Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Some more photos of Savarkar’s cell can be seen here and here. Details of the case related to Savarkar’s arrest can be read here, here, and here.
Savarkar was moved to the Cellular jail as he attempted an escape and was sentenced to 50 years in prison (two life terms), he was there from 1911 to 1921. Savarkar wrote in his book that he was sent to Ratnagiri in 1921, and then to the Yerawada Jail in 1923. Finally, he was released in 1924. The same can be read in an article on the Rajya Sabha TV website and in the Lok Sabha document.
Nehru:
The room in the posted photo is where Nehru was kept in the Ahmednagar Fort Prison. The same room can also be seen in a video taken at the Ahmednagar Fort.
He was in the Ahmednagar Fort Prison only between 09 August 1942 and 15 June 1945. On the Nehru portal, it can be read that “Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned nine times during the freedom struggle and was in jail for 3259 days”. He was kept in various prison cells. Some photos related to those prison cells can be seen on that portal.
Gandhi:
The photo given in the post regarding Gandhi was taken in the Aga Khan Palace. It was found that Gandhi was kept there between 1942 and 1944 in connection with the Quit India Movement (1942).
The details of places where Gandhi was prisoned at different times can be seen here,
While the pictures are true, the comparison is misleading. Savarkar was moved to the Cellular jail as he attempted an escape and was sentenced to 50 years in prison (two life terms). But Nehru and Gandhi were not sentenced accordingly, and they were only arrested in connection with the Quit India movement. Not only Gandhi and Nehru, even leaders like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Patel, and others were kept in similar jails.
To sum it up, this comparison of prison cells related to Savarkar, Gandhi, and Nehru is misleading.