Around 841 Still in Jail as Suspected Terrorists

Last two decades have been very crucial and challenging for Muslims, especially youngsters. During the period, a remarkable number of Muslim youth have been arrested in the name of counter-terrorism. After each case of bomb blast, incarceration of Muslim youth is inevitable and in many cases the police could not substantiate its claim against them. Consequently, the court acquits them after 5-6 years and in some cases after 13-14 years.

In many cases, courts have even noted that the accused was falsely implicated. After the recent ruling of the Apex Court directing all states to ensure that no innocent is framed, the Radiance Viewsweekly has compiled a state-wise list of those who are behind bars as the police think they are suspected to be terrorists. All the data have been collected from different sources and are not the last words. With more than four hundred such incarcerations, Maharashtra tops the list followed by Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh where the number is 158 and 102 respectively.

Out of the total 158 arrested on suspicion of being terrorists in Gujarat, only 47 were produced in courts within a year while the remaining 111 were left on their fates for years. The states where the number of “suspect terrorists” is in single digit are Tamil Nadu (3), Jharkhand (5), West Bengal (8) and Bihar (8). Below is the state-wise list of persons who are still languishing in jail in the name of suspected terrorists:

Those who have been acquitted are not counted in the list. The Radiance is trying to collect data on those who are acquitted of terrorism charges along with their respective periods of stay in jail.