Supual (Bihar): Ten prisoners escaped from the over-crowded Birpur sub-jail in Bihar's Supual district on June 6, a day when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and a host of Union and state ministers were in the district for foundation laying ceremony of Nirmali rail bridge.

Official sources said on June 7 that irked over death of a fellow inmate, a group of prisoners went berserk and after injuring two jail security staff fled from the jail by scaling the boundary wall.

The district administration could not send additional forces because a large number of the security personnel were out to Nirmali, about 35 km from Birpur in the same district, in view of the PM's programme, they said.

The violence and subsequent fleeing of the prisoners took place after the inmates got the news of death of an inmate Mohammed Tajimuddin during treatment in the jail hospital.

The prisoners after rampaging the jail attacked the security staff and after injurying two staff fled by scaling the boundary wall, they said, adding raids were being conducted to nab the escapees.

Meanwhile, in Patna, inspector general of prisons (IGP) Ravi Kant told reporters that a departmental inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

Central jail superintendent, Bhagalpur, Nawal Prasad Singh has been ordered to probe the circumstances under which the jail-break incident took place, he said adding guilty staff would be punished after the report of the inquiry.

Against a capacity of 125 there are about 170 prisoners lodged in the Birpur sub-jail currently.

PTI