Two terror modules took birth in Bengaluru central prison in a decade

Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison Complex has become a hotbed for radicalisation, with two terror modules birthed there. The overcrowded prison is unable to keep a watch on all inmates, raising red flags in the security apparatus. A new high-security prison and a deradicalisation programme are being mulled to prevent such radicalisation.

The dynamics and origins of the recently busted alleged terror module in the city have put the spotlight on Parappana Agrahara Central Prison Complex, which houses several terror accused, raising concerns of it becoming a hotbed for radicalisation.

Junaid, the prime suspect in the terror module, was in the central prison accused of murder and red sanders smuggling but walked out allegedly radicalised by a terror-accused inmate T. Nazir, reportedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and accused of the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts. He allegedly put together a terror module once he was out on bail.

However, this is not the first such instance. Syed Abdul Rehman, a criminal like Junaid, was arrested for murder and dacoity in 2011. He was allegedly radicalised by two terror-accused inmates Mohammed Fahad Khoya, a Pakistani national and Afsar Pasha, accused of the 2005 IISc attack. Once Rehman was out on bail, he allegedly put together a terror module and was busted. The three were convicted and sentenced to life in February 2023.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda said it was common for inmates to exchange ideas and for the more hardened criminals to cultivate petty criminals. However, two terror modules being birthed in the central prison, though not a surprise to many, has raised red flags in the security apparatus of the State.

“There are several hardened, severely radicalised terrorists in the prison. Highly motivated that they are, they are frustrated at not being able to carry out any action. Radicalising career criminals, they have access to a shortcut to relive their goals. Career criminals, if radicalised, are better suited to carry out subversive activities,” a senior police official who has overseen multiple terror probes said. He said multiple terror modules have historically recruited such criminals.

Questions are also being raised on prison management. “We try to segregate terror accused from other accused in the prison as far as possible. But in an overcrowded prison, keeping a watch on everyone is difficult,” a prison official said. Parappana Agrahara Central Prison is the most overcrowded prison in the State, with over 5,000 inmates.

A prison official said that a new high-security prison with a capacity to house 1,000 inmates in cells, presently under construction and likely to be inaugurated in the next eight months, could offer some solutions to the problem.