Solitary confinement drives Kasab up wall

MUMBAI: Ajmal Amir Kasab, convicted for his role in the 26/11 terror strike, is frustrated in his 10x5 highsecurity cell in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail. Loneliness is also making him restless.

Qaidi No. C-7096 , Kasab, tries to talk to the policemen guarding him. ‘‘ But we have asked them not to interact with Kasab since he is a convict in a sensitive case,’’ said a senior jail official. When cops don’t respond to him, Kasab gets agitated. ‘‘ He starts abusing the policemen, uses filthy words for India and says he wants to be sent to Pakistan or the US to face a trial,’’ the official added.

Earlier, following a court order, Kasab was given several books to read but these books are not there either. ‘‘ There is no calendar or wall clock. So, he must be finding it difficult to spend time. Other prisoners (even those in the anda cell) are released from their barracks for a few hours every day but Kasab has not been allowed to come out of the cell since he was convicted,’’ said the official, adding, ‘‘ He is fed up being alone. No one talks to him. His food is given to him on time but there is no interaction at all.’’

The policemen have been asked not to react to his abuses . ‘‘ If he crosses limit, we will complain to the court,’’ said the official. Unlike other convicts, though, he wont have to work as a shoe maker , carpenter, handloom operator, cook or tailor because, he has been awarded the death penalty by a special court.

Kasab has been given a convict’s uniform. His clothes have been taken away from him. Kasab washes and dries the two sets of convict’s clothes he has been given since he doesn’t have the money to pay for getting them washed.
Jail officials have noticed a considerable change in Kasab after his conviction. Most of the time, he sits near the iron doors of his prison cell.