Fearing terrorists lodged in jails may indoctrinate and radicalise other prisoners, the Centre plans to set up prisons across the country exclusively for convicted terrorists and those facing trial in terror cases. State Governments will be asked to build separate high-security prisons away from cities to house convicted terrorists and terror suspects.
Undertrial prisoners accounted for an estimated 68 per cent of the over 3.8 lakh inmates of all categories across India. The potential for radicalisation of languishing prisoners is high as international terror groups like the ISIS and al-Qaeda are seeking to recruit gullible youth for global jehadi designs, officials said.
The move is all set to begin with Srinagar. The Centre has already asked the Jammu & Kashmir Government to set up a separate high-security jail in Srinagar exclusively for Indian as well as foreign terrorists.
The move comes after the Intelligence agencies advised the Centre that the terrorists who are presently jailed, along with the petty criminals like stone-pelters, are involved in radicalising such youth and propagating the jehadi agenda in a major way. “In their reports to the Government, the Intelligence agencies had cited some examples where ordinary criminals joined terror outfits after being radicalised by terrorists lodged in the jails in Jammu & Kashmir,” a Union Home Ministry official said.
On the Centre’s advice to establish the exclusive jail, the Mehbooba Mufti Government has sent a proposal to the Centre seeking Rs7 crores for executing the plan. “The Centre is considering the J&K Government’s proposal seeking funding from the Union Government.
The Centre will soon advise other States to follow the pattern of setting up a separate jail for terrorist only,” a Union Home Ministry official said here on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed to build a jail exclusively for terrorists when he was Gujarat Chief Minister. “In 2010, the Gujarat Government had even mooted a proposal to set up a new jail near Gandhinagar. Then Gujarat MoS for Home Amit Shah had said if terror convicts and ordinary convicts shared the same prison, there was a chance that the ordinary convicts could become potential sleeper cells for terror groups,” a senior Intelligence official quoted while elaborating the background of the move.
Presently, over 28 Pakistani terrorists are lodged in various jails across J&K, including Udhampur terror attack accused Mohammed Naved, according Union Home Ministry data.
last year, the Union Home Ministry had asked State Governments to install adequate number of CCTV cameras and mobile jammers inside jails and monitor high-risk prisoners, especially convicted terrorists and suspects, round the clock and also asked them to keep a close watch on people visiting these prisoners.