Alleging threat to his life, Aftab Ansari, the mastermind of the 2002 attack on the American centre in Kolkata, has written to Alipore Correctional Home authorities, asking for a transfer to a different cell block. In the letter dated February 17, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, Ansari alleged that he was threatened by a “mentally-challenged” inmate, who is also part of the same high-security cell block 1.
“My life is in danger due to the mentally-ill prisoner Indranil Bhattacharya. I do not want to live with him in cell block 1. Kindly shift me to any other cell block. If any untoward incident occurs, this correctional home’s authorities will be responsible for it,” the letter read.
“We have received the letter and had a talk with Ansari. We will forward it to the higher-ups,” said a jail official.
Ansari is lodged at cell number 2 of the block on the ground floor, while Bhattacharya is lodged beside him in cell number 3. “I am yet to get the letter in my hand. Let me first have a look at it, then we will decide,” said Subir Ghosh, AIG (Headquarters), state jail department.
The letter mentions Bhattacharya threatened to kill him and another life convict in cell block 1 on February 17. “Today at morning the UT (undertrial) prisoner Indranil Bhattacharya threatened me and death sentence prisoner Saiful Ali to kill both of us. He threatened that he is a mentally- ill patient and does not care about cases pending against him… he also said ‘I will kill you like your life partner’,” the letter read. The letter was submitted to jail authorities on Tuesday.
Inmates in the high-security block are kept under surveillance 24/7, and their movement inside the jail is restricted. Those housed in the cells are normally prisoners serving life sentence or awaiting death sentence. Ansari wrote that on numerous occasions, he had lodged verbal protests against Bhattacharya, who creates disturbances inside the cell block and behaves badly with warders. He also pointed out that his co-accused in abduction of shoe baron Partha Roy Burman in 2001, Happy Singh, was murdered inside Presidency central jail in May 2014. During an exercise session, Singh was reportedly attacked by fellow inmate Nizamddin, who used a brick to smash his head. Singh died en route a hospital.
Four police constables and a private security guard were killed and over 20 people injured when assailants riding motorbikes fired using AK-47 rifles during the American centre attack in January 2002.
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