NIA to probe Bhopal jailbreak, four officials suspended

BHOPAL:

Madhya Pradesh

chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said here on Monday that the National Investigating Agency (NIA) will probe the jailbreak by eight suspected SIMI operatives who were killed hours after they escaped from the Central Jail in

Bhopal

. "I apprised Union home minister Rajnath Singh of the neutralised SIMI terrorists and requested him for an investigation into their escape and activity by the NIA. The union minister has agreed to our request'', said Chouhan while briefing press after the operation against SIMI actvists. The eight activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) had broken out of the Central Jail around 2.30 am on Monday after killing one guard and holding another hostage. They were killed in an encounter at Acharpura village, about ten kilometres from Bhopal. The chief minister further said that the matter of SIMI operatives does not pertain to Madhya Pradesh only and it would be more appropriate for NIA to look into the entire incident so that it could dig out some more links behind the case. Chouhan has also ordered a separate state-level inquiry into the entire incident saying, The matter was of grave concern as SIMI operatives had earlier escaped from

Khandwa

jail and were kept in a high prison area in the Central Jail after they were nabbed. Their escape from this area need to be investigated'', he said. "Apart from NIA, a state-level inquiry will be conducted and former director general of police Nandan Dubey will probe into the lapses of security in the jail'', said the chief minister. He said he was informed about the jail break at around 3.15 am. Since then, the state police carried out massive search operation to hunt the terrorists. The entire state machinery was alerted and everybody was concerned over the incident but, it was the local public who helped trace out the operatives and they were gunned down before they could escape'', said Chouhan. The chief minister also congratulated the police on successfully tracking down the escaped terrorists and people of the area who provided information about the operatives. He said the jailbreak was an incident of criminal negligence and that he has ordered the suspension of deputy inspector general (DIG) of police as well as the superintendent, deputy superintendent and assistant superintendent of the jail. The government has also shunted out the additional director general (ADG) of police (Jails) Sushobhan Banerjee and attached him to the police headquarters. ADG (special task force) Sudhir Shahi would take charge in his place. We will conduct inquiry into the role of jail officials and can go to the extent of terminating those involved in the conspiracy'', warned Chouhan.