At least two Maoist prisoners in Chaibasa jail were killed and three others injured on Tuesday when police opened fire on inmates who tried to escape from the prison. However, 15 inmates, including eight Maoists, managed to flee. All exit points in the district have been sealed and a manhunt launched to nab them.
The incident took place when the prisoners, who had been brought back after being produced in the local court, were disembarking from the police van. According to police, some of the prisoners tried to run towards the main exit following which the guards started firing on them.
“Two prisoners were killed and three injured when the jail staff opened fire on them while they were trying to flee,” said Kolhan DIG Mohd Nehal. According to Police Headquarters, those killed in the firing have been identified as hard-core Maoists Tipa Das and Ramvilas Tanti, both hailing from Chotanagra.
According to the DIG, the police van was carrying 54 prisoners at the time of the incident. “The profiles of the prisoners can be known only after verification. It is a mixed group involving Maoists and common criminals,” said Nehal.
Police have ruled out the involvement of Maoists in the jailbreak because the van was safely inside the jail campus when the incident occurred.
Earlier, three hardcore Maoist rebels, including Motilal Soren, Raghunath Hembrom and Mangru Mahto, who were undergoing trial for the massacre of dozens of security personnel in Saranda, had escaped from Chaibasa Divisional Jail in January 2011.