Murder in custody: Ayodhya Ram Temple terror plot accused Abdul Rahman killed by fellow inmate

Abdul Rahman, arrested for allegedly plotting an attack on the Ram Temple, was assaulted by another inmate inside Neemka jail; authorities review prison security.

• Abdul Rahman, accused of plotting Ram Temple attack, killed in Faridabad jail
• Inmate Arun Choudhary attacked Rahman with a sharp object in Neemka Jail.
• Security review ordered in prison after Rahman's death; inquiry underway

Did our AI summary help?

Abdul Rahman, a 20-year-old terror accused arrested for allegedly plotting an attack on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, was killed inside Faridabad district jail on Sunday night after being attacked with a sharp object, officials told Times of India. The killing has triggered a security review inside the high-security prison.

Rahman was lodged at Neemka Jail in Haryana’s Faridabad and was assaulted around 8 pm by another inmate, identified as Arun Choudhary.

According to jail authorities, Choudhary struck Rahman on the head with a sharp-edged object, leaving him critically injured. Rahman was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain how the attack took place inside the prison.

Choudhary, a Kashmiri youth, is facing murder and attempt-to-murder charges in eight cases registered in Jammu and Amritsar. He was shifted from Kathua jail to Neemka Jail in October 2024.

Rahman, a resident of Milkipur in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district, was arrested on March 2, 2025, near Pali village in Faridabad during a joint operation by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Haryana Special Task Force (STF).

Two hand grenades recovered from his possession were later defused by bomb disposal squads, officials had said.

As per a Times of India report, investigations had revealed that Rahman was living in Faridabad under a fake identity and had blended into the local community by working as an autorickshaw driver and at a small eatery. He was staying in a secluded tubewell house on the outskirts of the city.

Security agencies had flagged him as a key operative tasked with conducting reconnaissance of sensitive locations, including the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and administrative buildings in Uttar Pradesh.

Digital devices seized during his arrest contained videos and material linked to the Ram Temple, along with instructions and details of the proposed attack.

Officials had earlier said the grenades were sourced through handlers linked to Pakistan’s ISI via networks associated with the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Though no specific date had been fixed, agencies assessed the planned strike was imminent and could have triggered mass casualties and panic.

Following Rahman’s arrest, central and state intelligence agencies had launched a coordinated probe to identify sleeper cells, local facilitators and logistical support linked to the plot, treating it as a major national security threat.

Police officials told Times of India that security arrangements inside the prison are being reviewed after Rahman’s killing. “We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the killing,” a police officer said.

Police are questioning inmates and prison staff to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the fatal assault.