TN’s notorious prison breaks involved LTTE cadres

CHENNAI: In Tamil Nadu’s prison history, some of the most notable escape attempts involved the cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) detained at various facilities in the State. The most notorious incident occurred in August 1995, when 43 suspected LTTE militants escaped from Vellore Fort, exposing serious lapses in security.

The militants, who had been detained at the fort since 1990, escaped through a 153-ft-long tunnel they had dug beneath the ground. They then crossed a 50-foot-wide moat and fled.

A retired Director General of Police (DGP), who was part of the Intelligence wing at the time, said that the incident had indicated a failure on the part of officials responsible for monitoring the detention facility and conducting routine inspections.

The escape came to light amid a series of events that further embarrassed the authorities. On August 15, 1995, a suspected LTTE militant consumed cyanide when confronted by the police in Mambalam, Chennai, and died. Another LTTE cadre, Gunaseelan, reportedly identified in media reports as the mastermind behind the escape, was allegedly allowed to leave by a policeman.

Police subsequently rearrested 11 of the escapees. The remaining militants reportedly returned to Sri Lanka and rejoined the LTTE’s armed struggle against government forces.

A police officer recalled that the escapees had dug the tunnel about 10 feet below ground, using bathroom pipes and steel plates provided to them to eat their meals. Police had said at the time that the militants progressed at a rate of about one foot a day.

It remains unclear whether they used an existing but disused drainage tunnel or dug the entire passage themselves. Reports suggested that the militants escaped in three batches over three nights, from August 12-14. They reportedly evaded sentries stationed in three watchtowers and more than 20 other personnel assigned to guard them. Rain and a power cut may also have aided their escape.

Vellore Fort, however, was not a conventional prison but a detention camp. Most of those held there were LTTE cadres detained for travelling without the required documents. They were housed in Tipu Mahal within the fort, with guards stationed only outside the building.

Earlier in February 1995, another escape attempt involving LTTE cadres took place at Chennai Central jail, which then functioned opposite Chennai Central railway station before being relocated to Puzhal.

A group of 15 inmates reportedly planned the escape. After seizing a firearm from the guards, they attempted to scale the prison wall. However, only nine managed to escape.

A retired prison official recalled that three inmates were unable to proceed after breaking their legs, while another three got trapped in the Cooum river, which runs near the prison premises.

Tamil Nadu witnessed more than half a dozen prison escapes during the first half of the 1990s, when the AIADMK was in power in the State. Such incidents declined in subsequent years, particularly after security measures were strengthened at prisons and detention facilities.