The alarming rise of radicalisation behind bars has triggered red alerts in the corridors of the ministry of home affairs (MHA). India’s prisons are no longer merely correctional institutions, they are rapidly turning into incubators of extremist ideology, posing a direct threat to national security. In a stern warning, the MHA has described radicalisation inside jails as a critical and escalating challenge, directing all states and union territories to act with urgency and aggression.
The Ministry has issued an urgent and strongly worded advisory to all states and union territories, painting a grim picture of prisons evolving into breeding grounds for violent extremism. The advisory focuses on identifying, monitoring, and rehabilitating radicalised individuals within correctional facilities.
According to the MHA advisory, the closed and isolated environment of prisons, combined with inadequate surveillance and toxic group dynamics, has become the perfect petri dish for radical ideologies to fester. In its internal communique marked “most immediate / important,” the MHA acknowledged that radicalisation in jails is no longer merely a security threat, it has become a national emergency. From orchestrating violence within prison walls to remotely directing terror modules outside, radicalised inmates are turning incarceration into an operational advantage.
The Ministry further warns that this dangerous ecosystem is particularly effective in targeting vulnerable inmates. those prone to violence, anti-social behaviour, or feelings of alienation, who are increasingly being indoctrinated by hardcore radicals behind bars. If this explosive situation is not brought under control immediately, it risks spiraling into a nationwide security disaster.
In the advisory, the MHA stated that high-risk inmates who are inclined towards propagating radical ideologies should be segregated from the general prison population to minimise the risk of indoctrination. The states and union territories may consider establishing independent high-security prison complexes within their jurisdictions to house hardened or radicalised prisoners, terrorists, etc., separately, with the objective of preventing them from influencing other inmates. These inmates should be kept under enhanced surveillance using monitoring tools and intelligence mechanisms to detect and neutralise potential threats and radical networks operating within the prison system.
The MHA’s concerns have gained further urgency following a major breakthrough in a 2023 case involving radicalisation and operational planning by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-linked inmates inside a high-security Indian prison. The investigation began in 2023, when intelligence agencies flagged increased radicalisation activities within Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru. It was discovered that convicted terrorist Tadiyandaveed Naseer, alias T. Naseer, who despite serving a life sentence, was found to be operating a terror communication network from inside the prison.
In a coordinated operation last week, the national investigation agency (NIA) arrested three key accused prison psychiatrist Dr. Nagaraj, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Chan Pasha from the city armed reserve; and Anees Fathima, the mother of absconding accused Junaid Ahmed. Raids were conducted across five locations in Bengaluru and Kolar, leading to the seizure of mobile phones, cash, gold, and incriminating documents.
NIA investigation revealed that Dr. Nagaraj and his associate Pavithra helped smuggle mobile phones to terror accused Naseer and facilitated his communication with external operatives. ASI Pasha is accused of accepting bribes in 2022 to leak court escort schedules, while Fathima allegedly acted as a courier for funds and instructions between Naseer and her absconder son Junaid Ahmed.NIA sources said she played a key role in maintaining communication channels within the radical network.
So far, nine individuals, including Junaid Ahmed, have been chargesheeted under various laws including the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and the Explosive Substances Act. The investigation remains ongoing to trace absconding accused and fully dismantle the network.
Currently, Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail houses 2,890 undertrial inmates, nearly three times its sanctioned capacity of 990.
According to sources at Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail, around 8 to 10 inmates currently lodged in the facility are believed to hold radical ideologies and have been arrested under various sections of UAPA. These individuals are housed in special high-security prison barracks and are kept under round-the-clock surveillance through CCTV monitoring. Jail staff are deployed in three shifts to maintain continuous watch outside their cells. In some cases, the inmates are confined to anda (egg-shaped high-security) cell enclosures used to isolate high-risk prisoners.
Across Maharashtra’s 60 prisons, the number of such radicalised inmates is estimated to be around 300. Among them was the late Saquib Nachan, a former operative of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), who was previously incarcerated in the state. Nachan had allegedly attempted to indoctrinate fellow inmates and recruit them into his extremist network during his time in prison.
