Ahead of underworld don Chhota Rajan’s deportation from Bali, the Maharashtra government has ordered jail authorities to hand over a high security block in Mumbai Central Prison to police. Besides, the state police has requested the government to deploy paramilitary forces around the jail premises for Rajan’s security.
According to a senior official from state home department, the directives -- to hand over the high security block to the police at an annual rent of Rs 1-- have been issued to ensure “foolproof” security of one of India’s most-wanted gangsters. Chhota Rajan is “most likely” to be lodged at Arthur Road Jail after being deported to the country.
As per the order issued by the state home department, cell ‘12B’ has been denotified from the jail category and is now reserved for an “important task of Mumbai police and will continue to be with the Mumbai police till the work is over”. The cell, that was specially built to keep Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab in isolation, at present houses alleged Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative and 26/11 attack key handler Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal.
Additional Director General of Police B K Upadhyay said he has written a letter to the state government, requesting the deployment of paramilitary forces around the Arthur Road Jail for security purposes. “If Chhota Rajan is lodged there, we need a high security ring around him. To guard the jail’s periphery, I have requested the deployment of paramilitary forces around the jail. Inside the jail, there will be State Reserve Police Force, along with armed jail police officials,” he said.
He further said that the video-conferencing facility inside the Central Prison premises will be activated to ward off any threat to Rajan’s life while he is produced in court. “We do not know what medical problems he is suffering from. Once he is handed over to the Mumbai police, he will be examined by in-house doctors of the prison and subsequently J J Hospital authorities will be asked to provide the facilities needed to him,” Upadhyay said.
