Are the accused plotting to attack officials at Arthur Road jail? Well, the officials certainly think so. Within a couple of days after an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report alerted officials of a possible attack by 13 accused in the 11/7 Mumbai train blasts, authorities swung into action and have re-lodged them in the high-security ‘anda’ cell.

Only one person can be lodged in an ‘anda’ cell which has a small opening and inmates cannot see each other. According to the report, the accused are likely to attack a senior jail official and goes on to elaborate the kind of weapon that is likely to be used in the attack.

Till recently, the accused were lodged in different barracks in the prison and used to meet during breakfasts and lunches. Incidentally, one of the accused, Sajid Ansari, was apprehended by the court staff for allegedly possessing a knife while he was being produced at the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court premises last week.

According to the police, the knife-like weapon was slipped into the pocket of the accused by one of his relatives within the court premises. “He was caught with a knife. It was brought to the courts’ notice which gave him a stern warning,” confirmed a Arthur Road jail official. The official said that all the July 11 accused comprised the most noncooperating inmates of the prison.

The accused had submitted a battery of complaints to the court ranging from police torture and harassment to requesting for another judge to hear their case. “It’s possible that they were planning to attack the jail officials. This group frequently alleges torture and their claims are subsequently dismissed by the court,” said the jail official. The latest grouse of the 11/7 group: despite the court granting them permission for fruit and pastry, the jail authorities were not giving it to them.

“It’s also possible that the accused were planning to attack themselves and blame it on the investigating officials or the jail staff,” said the official. The jail officials have learnt that the 11/7 accused are planning to move in an application to the special court for a separate barrack for themselves like the 1993 serial bomb blasts accused.

Source : DNAIndia