The BJP has strongly criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government after the NIA arrested three people — a prison psychiatrist, a CAR police officer, and a woman — in connection with the 2023 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) prison radicalisation case. The arrests followed raids in Bengaluru and Kolar districts. Those detained are Dr. Nagaraj, psychiatrist at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison; ASI Chan Pasha; and Anees Fathima, mother of absconding accused Junaid Ahmed.
The NIA stated that the accused were part of a plot to carry out terror activities in Bengaluru on behalf of the banned LeT group. BJP leader V. Sunil Kumar accused the Congress government of being soft on terror and blamed a weak law-and-order system for the rise in such threats. He questioned how government staff could be involved in helping convicted terrorist Naseer and passing messages to absconding suspects.
Kumar also slammed the role of the ATS and raised concerns about the weakening of internal security. He alleged the Congress government prioritised appeasement politics and failed to act on threats within prisons and police departments. He further criticised the government for focusing on hate speech laws while neglecting internal threats.
According to the NIA, arms, digital devices, cash, and documents were recovered. Dr. Nagaraj allegedly smuggled phones into the prison, while ASI Chan Pasha reportedly shared prisoner escort details for money. Fathima is accused of relaying terror instructions from prison to her son abroad. Kumar warned the government against remaining silent on rising terror links.