Flames leap above a Howrah jail gate on Thursday evening. Picture by Gopal Senapati

Over 60 inmates of Howrah jail set ablaze the superintendent’s room and broke open two gates in a bid to escape before being stopped at the third on Thursday evening.

The riot was started by triple murder-accused Rahul Mullick and Suraj Mullick, who were to be transferred to Alipore Central jail in the afternoon.

“Around 3.30pm, as four armed guards were getting ready to escort them out of the jail, the two got wind of the plan and started shouting at us,” said a jail official.

Rahul and Suraj run an extortion racket from inside the jail, added the official. “They were furious at the prospect of the shift because they can’t run the racket from a more protected jail.”

The Mullicks are being tried for the murder of couple Raja and Rekha Mullick at a marriage reception. Rahul and Suraj also allegedly killed Raja’s father, Bikiya, a couple of months ago.

The unrest spread among other inmates of the jail, many of whom are loyal to the Mullicks, and simmered till 5.30pm, when a group of about 60 made a dash for jail superintendent Sudipto Chakraborty’s room.

The door was closed. So the inmates tore down the metal net on the window, through which the superintendent used to identify undertrials on their way to court, and entered the room.

“Chakraborty and a couple of other officers who were in the room opened the door and ran for the jail quarters,” said Howrah police superintendent, Niraj Kumar Singh.

The rioters smashed a computer in the room, destroyed documents and broke furniture. They then brought in an LPG cylinder and set fire to the room, said an official.

“Once they had vented their anger, the men tried to look for ways to flee the jail. They broke open the first and second gates. Before they reached the third gate — the last line of defence — the guard there managed to lock it and run away,” said Singh.

The district combat force, police and RAF arrived at the jail soon after but could not enter the premises as the inmates were raining bricks on them. The rioters also raided the jail store and spilled rice, cereals, vegetables and cooking oil.

The security forces climbed to the terrace of an adjacent building and fired nearly 50 rounds of teargas shells into the compound. Around 6pm, they were able to enter the jail and corner the rioters.

Three fire tenders reached the spot at 6.30pm. When the flames were put out an hour and a half later, the superintendent’s room was gutted.

Howrah district magistrate Khalil Ahmed said: “Some inmates set fire to the superintendent’s room, threw bricks and ransacked the premises. They were able to break two gates. Officers from Howrah police station arrived and overpowered them. A headcount showed that all 595 inmates were on the premises.”

Ahmed, who spoke to the inmates, also said that they were unhappy with the jail superintendent as he had curtailed the visiting hours.

Deputy inspector-general (Presidency range) Soumen Mitra also visited the jail.