Drone Lands Close to Bhopal Jail Cells With 69 Terrorists, Noticed After 8 Days

Bhopal:

A high-security jail in Bhopal finds itself within the eye of a storm after a China-made drone was found inside its premises. The drone reportedly lay undetected for eight days earlier than it was lastly noticed by a staffer in Bhopal Central Jail on Wednesday, elevating severe questions on safety lapses and negligence.

It was positioned by an obligation guard close to B block – a piece near the high-security ‘anda cells’ – referred to as so due to their rectangular form – housing 69 terrorists – within the ISO-certified jail.

Critics have raised issues in regards to the obvious negligence of jail authorities, who did not detect the drone in a facility the place safety is paramount.

Chatting with reporters, Narendra Shivaji Patel, a minister in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s cupboard although praised the vigilance of the safety personnel. “If anybody noticed the drone first, it was our safety group,” he acknowledged.

He assured, “Because of the alertness of our jail administration, the drone has been recovered. A complete investigation is underway.”

Nevertheless, Rakesh Bangre, the jail superintendent, cited confusion as the explanation for the oversight. “There was some misunderstanding, which is why the guard may not have seen the drone initially,” he mentioned.

The drone, outfitted with two cameras, has been claimed by an area physician, Dr Swapnil Jain, who mentioned he purchased it for his son. Bhopal Police Commissioner Hari Narayanchari Mishra, alongside together with his group, examined the drone and confirmed the physician’s declare.

“The drone went uncontrolled on December 31 and fell close to the Anda Cell. We discovered it yesterday and have recognized its proprietor,” Mr Bangre defined.

Regardless of the jail’s multi-layered safety, together with jammers and CCTV, the incident has highlighted vulnerabilities.

The invention has fueled nervousness given the proximity of the drone to the ‘anda cell’, which holds terrorists from organisations like SIMI (College students’ Islamic Motion of India), PFI (Widespread Entrance of India), HuT (Hizb ut-Tahrir), JMB (Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh), and ISIS.

The jail has a capability of two,600 inmates however at the moment homes 3,600. Regardless of the overcrowding, strict measures are in place, with two guards assigned per terrorist. Inmates are allowed outdoors for restricted hours every day underneath shut watch.

The federal government is now contemplating stricter measures, together with declaring the jail and its surrounding areas as a “no-fly zone.”

The jail hit headlines when on the intervening evening of October 30 and 31, 2016, when eight undertrial prisoners, accused of being members of SIMI, escaped from the ability. These people had been later killed in a controversial police encounter, roughly 15 km from the jail, elevating quite a few questions in regards to the nature of the operation and the safety measures on the jail.

Through the years, a number of circumstances of violence had been reported from the jail.

On December 27, 2017, a violent conflict over standing in a queue left one prisoner severely injured. On April 14, 2020, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a minor altercation over meals escalated right into a full-blown brawl between prisoners. On February 20, 2023, SIMI terrorist Ejaz stabbed one other prisoner with a blade following an argument

On November 6, final yr, a prisoner named Rajesh, attacked Shahid, who was imprisoned over his hyperlinks with ISIS.