The jail in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, from where 6 alleged SIMI members escaped on Tuesday morning
In a major embarrassment to the Madhya Pradesh police, seven prisoners facing serious charges escaped from a jail in the Khandwa district early this morning after stabbing two policemen. One of the prisoners has been caught.
The union home ministry has asked the state government to explain the major security lapse.
Six of the men allegedly belong to the Students Islamic Movement of India or SIMI, which was banned in 2001 over its alleged terror links. Mehboob, Abu Fazal Khan, Amjad Khan, Aslam, Ijazuddin and Zakir Husain, all face murder and attempted murder charges.
The seventh, Abid Ansari, was caught hours after the daring jailbreak. He is accused of planting a bomb in a hospital two years ago.
Six jail officials, including Deputy Jail Superintendent Sunil Sharma, have been suspended.
The prisoners reportedly sneaked out at around 3 am, after breaking the wall of a toilet, and scaled the boundary wall of the jail. They allegedly attacked and wounded two constables who tried to stop them.
The constables, who were patrolling the area, had spotted the prisoners about a km from the jail and asked what they were doing out at 3:30 am. The men attacked the cops with knives and took away two motorcycles and two rifles.
State Home Minister Uma Shanker Gupta has ordered an investigation. "There is no doubt there has been negligence in security," the minister said.
The police have launched a massive combing operation in the area, 300 km from state capital Bhopal.