Maharashtra Home Minister Patil meets Kasab in Arthur Road Jail

MUMBAI - Maharashtra Home Minister R.R Patil who visited the high security Arthur Road jail here on Tuesday, met Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Patil was accompanied by the leader of Opposition in Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Eknath Khadse.

Interacting with mediapersons outside the prison Patil said the surprise visit was a consequence of recent gang wars inside the jail premises and it was to check the security measures at the jail.

“I had mentioned in the house that I will look into the workings inside the Arthur Jail and security measures inside and also take the opposition leader along with me,” said Patil.

The ministers found the jail overcrowded. Patil said: “It has a capacity of 781 inmates but in reality, around 2000 prisoners are lodged here.”

Patil further added the staff strength at the jail is also less than one-third of the sanctioned strength.

“We will shift some of them to the new Taloja jail which has come up in adjoining Raigad District,” he said.

They also felt more personnel need to be recruited at the Arthur Road jail.

Patil said they didn’t converse much as neither of them felt like interacting with Kasab.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader Khadse said he was satisfied with functioning of the jail and also the security measures provided to all inmates including Ajmal Kasab.

In response to a question asked by Khadse that how he is feeling at the jail here, Kasab said as you sow so shall you reap.

“When we visited Kasab, I was satisfied seeing the security given. Being the Mumbai attack accused, I did talk to him. I even asked if he has any complaints along with other jail convicts. If they are getting all the basic necessities, nobody complained to me as such,” said Khadse. (ANI)