Dreaded prisoners of Yerwada: From Jinda-Sukha to Kasab

The sprawling Yerwada Central prison in Pune, where 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab was hanged on Wednesday, has been a witness to many important events since its establishment by the British in 1851 on a huge 500 acre plot of land.

One of the nine central jails in Maharashtra, Yerawada, situated on the northeastern outskirts of the city, became well known because the British rulers had chosen it to imprison Mahatma Gandhi in 1932 during the freedom struggle.

The dreaded duo of Jinda and Sukha, convicted of murder of former army chief late Gen Arun Kumar Vaidya, who spearheaded the operation Blue Star, too were sent to gallows in Yerwada prison in 1992.

According to sources, the last execution in the jail was carried out in 1995, that of a murder convict.

The capacity of the jail, which houses hardcore criminals, was put at 1,800 inmates during the British rule and was later increased to around 3,000.

Recently, the jail was in the limelight when suspected Indian Mujaheedin operative Qateel Siddiqui was killed inside the jail by fellow inmates, which allegedly led to the plotting of the August 1 serial bomb explosions in the city. The incident led to a big uproar, resulting in transfer of the jail superintendent.

The 'Operation X' carried out on Wednesday morning, was, however carried out with utmost secrecy, which caught the city by surprise.