Experts brought up the question of how 826 prisoners - the entire roster of inmates- could escape after being freed by miscreants from a secured prison like Narsingdi Central Jail, guarded by 101 security personnel.
A jailer, a deputy jailer and a jail superintendent were assigned to guard the prison. The government has allotted 85 state-of-the-art weapons for the protection and security of the inmates. And there were 8,150 rounds of ammunition stored in the prison armory for use in any kind of conflict.
No prison guard was killed or injured during such violence. How is it possible that the attackers looted the armory and took out 826 prisoners without any hindrance, without bloodshed, from such a fortified prison?
Dignitaries in Narsingdi raised the question over the responsibilities of the officials of the prison when miscreants carried out massive vandalism and set fire to the prisons on July 19 (Friday).
In this regard, Narsingdi District Bar Association President Kazi Nazmul Islam said that the main gate of the jail is locked from inside. If this lock is not opened, no one can enter without breaking the gate.
“I don't know why the main gate and second gate of the jail gate were opened at that time,” he remarked.
According to the Jail Code, the Jail authorities can shoot any person who misbehaves within the area of the Jail. But, they didn't fire a shot, unlocked the main gate, thousands of people poured in unhindered, the matter is really mysterious, he added.
"The jail also has a rule of ringing the ‘mad bell’ if any inmate tries to rebel, but we didn’t hear any bells," he said. “The incident should be investigated.”
“The jail authorities could have sought police cooperation. But I don’t know whether they sought it or not. The police could help if they wanted. If the police had cooperated, this would not have happened," he added.
The highest authority could also seek the assistance of the District Magistrate. "But I don't know if he wanted to," Nazmul said.
Experts also believe that this incident might have been carried out to snatch the militants imprisoned in the jail.