The prison is Chaibasa from where these men tried to escape
A group of 17 prisoners in south Jharkhand's Chaibasa made an audacious escape bid on Tuesday while on their way back from the district court.
Two of them were shot dead by the police, three others were injured. But the rest managed to get away, said Rajeev Kumar, Director General of Police, Jharkhand.
The men were undertrials in cases related to Naxalism.
The prisoners tried to run for it after the jail van carrying them from the court had just come back to the jail premises.
As the prisoners got off the van and were to enter the second gate, one of them threw chilli powder on the jail staff and tried to run towards the exit.
But the guards managed to recover and opened fire.
The police are still trying to figure out how they managed to get hold of the chilli powder. "We will look at any lapses on part of the police, or whether there was any connivance," said Mr Kumar.
A manhunt is on within the prison and the surrounding areas.
Jharkhand is in the midst of voting for its next government; results will be declared on December 23.