Chandigarh, January 22
Going by circumstances the escape of three of the accused in the Beant Singh assassination case was virtually waiting to happen. Even as the three may have been planning their dramatic escape, their activities were virtually hidden from the outside world. The jail authorities overlooked basic facts.

The first was that a curtain had been put up in the barrack and that nothing was visible from outside. Well-placed sources said there had been no proper inspection of the barrack in the past few months as was mandatory under the jail manual. Had somebody checked it, the tunnel would have been visible. At the Press conference today UT officials withheld information on this point as to when the barracks were last inspected. ‘‘It is an operational matter and these things would come out in the investigation,’’ said the UT Adviser, Mr Lalit Sharma, when asked about this fact.

The connivance of the jail staff has not been ruled out in preliminary investigation. The tunnel which had been dug to escape was about 2 feet by 2 feet and was about 94 feet long. Where did the loose earth go? This should be about two trucks of earth. A theory was floated in the morning that the three had a toilet within their barracks and they flushed down the mud whatever they dug.

Sleuths of various investigating agencies visited the spot and found out that this was improbable as this would have choked the underground sewerage disposal system of Chandigarh. It was likely that the mud was being sent down a sewer which has an opening in the compound. The sewer was inspected and traces of mud have been found. The three used to be let out in the compound. But how did they carry the mud without being seen? Well placed sources said this proved the connivance of the jail staff and intelligence agencies are working on this theory.

Another fact is that to dig such a tunnel it would require some implements. If the three had some small tool it would take a year to dig out the earth. Intelligence agencies have also found that the trio used a power connection from their barrack and ran a wire all the way into the tunnel to make a provision for light. Since it would be pitch dark inside the tunnel even during the day, the wire and the bulb attached to it would also be required throughout the operation.

The staff also did not get the curtain removed from the barracks. The three accused used to often tell the jail staff that they were doing their prayers and thus should not be disturbed.

Interestingly, the lower level jail staff of Chandigarh enjoys a status of being non-transferable and they get promoted from within. This point was discussed today among senior officers, sources said.