Tahawwur Rana may stay in Arthur Road jail's infamous cell that held Ajmal Kasab

Pakistani-born Canadian national Tahawwur Rana (64), one of the key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is likely to be kept in barrack number 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail if and when he is brought to the city to face trial, according to Times of India. This is the same high-security building where Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab was held in a bomb-proof cell before he was executed in November 2012.

"So far, no instructions have been issued. Once he is brought here, we will see where to keep him," ToI quoted a jail official. Arthur Road jail, officially known as Mumbai Central Prison, was built in 1925 and covers three acres of land. Although it was designed to accommodate 1,100 inmates, it currently holds an average of around 4,000, leading to regular complaints about overcrowding and poor hygiene conditions for undertrials.

Barrack number 12 is different from the rest of the facility. It is located separately from the general barracks and has more secure conditions. Not all cells in this barrack are currently occupied. During Kasab’s time, the authorities even set up a separate kitchen within the building to cater to security concerns. A source from the jail said, "Rana could be lodged in one of the three cells located on the ground floor of barrack number 12."

In recent years, particularly after international scrutiny surrounding India’s prison conditions during extradition proceedings in high-profile cases involving fugitives like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, the government upgraded Barrack No 12. These improvements were aimed at easing concerns raised by foreign courts and observers. Inmates in this section are provided with mattresses, pillows, and bedsheets, and meals are served using melamine crockery. They also have access to the prison library and newspapers.

Meanwhile, as Rana is set to be extradited to India today, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has reignited the political row over the 2008 Mumbai attacks. According to multiple media reports, Goyal launched a sharp criticism of the previous UPA government, accusing it of not acting strongly enough after the attacks. He alleged that the Congress government was soft on Ajmal Kasab and had "fed him biryani", while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking concrete steps to ensure the attackers are brought to justice.

According to a report by the Times of India, once Rana arrives in India, he is expected to be interrogated by a specially formed team that includes officers from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), two other intelligence agencies, and forensic psychologists with expertise in counterterrorism and criminology. The central objective of the investigation will be to uncover the institutional forces that directed and supported the 26/11 attacks from across the border.