Before Cellular Jail in Port Blair, this tiny Indian island was a place of exile under British Rule…

Have you heard of the "Viper Chain Gang Jail?" If not, here’s an interesting story for you…While reflecting on the contribution of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian freedom struggle, the most prominent landmark to pop up in the minds of any person would be the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. The jail, with its notorious reputation of being a place where revolutionaries were confined in solitary cells, is considered an epitome of oppression in the islands.However, several decades before the fame acquired by the Cellular Jail, there was another island that served to remind about the cruelty of British penal justice. It is the Viper Island, located not far from Port Blair, which serves as an epitome of the dark past of the Andamans.The island itself lies about 4 km away from Port Blair, and it had been part of the British penal colony established in the Andaman Islands after the Revolt of 1857. The convicts and political prisoners sent to the islands by the British authorities had to face exile as an additional punishment to hard labor in conditions of remoteness from their homeland.The construction of Viper Jail took place from 1864 to 1867 under the guidance of Lt. Col. Barnett Ford, who was the superintendent of the penal settlement. At that time, Britain had already set up Port Blair as the capital for its penal settlement. The inmates selected to be held here were supposed to be the most unruly ones in the settlement.As compared to the later-built cellular jail, this jail was relatively small in size. However, it was notorious for its extreme torture of the prisoners. It comprised solitary cells, lock-up cells, whipping posts, stocks, and gallows. The inmates were forced to do hard labor under the chain gang. Hence, the jail earned a reputation as the "Viper Chain Gang Jail." Even female inmates were imprisoned here.These forms of punishment served other purposes aside from just imprisonment. On the remaining structures of the island is the gallows on top of the hill, which serves to remind visitors of the dark history associated with the island. This structure stands on top of a hill overlooking the sea, making it seem like an isolated spot.One of the major figures whose execution took place on this island was Sher Ali Afridi. He was brought to Viper Island as a convict but later on committed assassination against Lord Mayo, who was the Viceroy of India at that time when he visited Hope Town in February 1872.What makes this murder so important in history is the fact that Lord Mayo is the only Viceroy of India to be ever assassinated.Sher Ali was hanged on Viper Island on 11 March 1872.The gallows, in particular, became symbolic of the fate of those prisoners who tried to challenge colonial rule. While the Cellular Jail became more well-known, the history of Viper Island formed a basis for the British colonial experience with punishing people through exiling them to the remote areas of the islands.After the completion of Cellular Jail in 1906, Viper Jail lost its importance and gradually moved into the shadow of the new building. Cellular Jail was now used for holding and punishing political prisoners and freedom fighters.The jail built on Viper Island fell into disrepair after Cellular Jail began functioning. Tropical plants slowly began growing on the island and turned it into ruins. Today, one can see remains of walls and old cells as well as old gallows.Tourists visiting the islands may include a tour of Viper Island in their itinerary of visiting nearby locations. To get there, one will have to take a cruise from Port Blair lasting about 20 minutes.While crowds flock to watch the light and sound show in the evenings at Cellular Jail, Viper Island is relatively tranquil. While exhibitions and galleries of museums tell its story in great detail, Viper Island’s story can be best told by the ruins.As visitors wander around in the ruins of the prison, it becomes quite challenging to relate to the beauty that surrounds them and their current tranquility with what happened in those places many years ago.Visiting Viper Island reminds people that the tale of punishment by the British did not start with Cellular Jail. In fact, before the construction of the famous jail on the nearby island, the small island of Viper operated as a part of the earliest British penal colony.