What did Abu Jundal say about Peter Mukerjea in Arthur Road jail

Mumbai: Suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist Abu Jundal, who is currently imprisoned in the Central Prison at Arthur Road in Mumbai, wants himself to be shifted to the cell where former media baron Peter Mukerjea is lodged.

According to The Times of India, Jundal has allegedly taunted Mukerjea that the latter should be transferred to solitary confinement.

In an application before the special MCOCA court judge, AL Anekar, jail authorities mentioned about an incident that took place on December 01: "After seeing Peter with police escorts at the Kasab cell building, Jundal said we cannot lodge Peter in the ground floor cell. Jundal also said that Peter should be kept in his cell and he (Jundal) should be transferred to the ground floor cell."

Notably, the 35-year-old alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks has been in the prison since 2012, while Mukerjea, an accused in Sheena Bora murder case, has been there for two weeks. Mukerjea is currently lodged in the cell previously occupied by deported gangster, Santosh Shetty.

The Maharashtra government had incurred an expenditure of Rs 2 crores on building a bullet and bomb proof cell, especially for Ajmal Kasab, in the Central Prison. Designed in January 2009, the building is a ground plus one structure. While the ground floor has three cells, the first floor (where Kasab was lodged) has only one cell, reports the daily.

Jundal, after his deportation from Saudi Arabia, was lodged in the cell, which is connected to the specially made court (also bomb and bullet proof) by a tunnel which was fortified with iron walls and ceiling to ward off any terrorist strike with bombs.

Mukerjea's cell on the ground floor is mostly open everyday, paving the way for him to take a walk in the corridor, talk to policemen, and visit the jail library.