GUJRAT, Nov 10: The officers deputed to conduct an inquiry into Mandi Bahauddin jail break have listed cowardliness, negligence and mismanagement as reasons behind the incident in their final report submitted to the Punjab prisons chief, it is learnt.

Eleven prisoners escaped on Oct 24. Three of them were rearrested the same day. A fourth prisoner was rearrested from his hideout in Lahore the next day while the fifth on Oct 26 from Chokory Bheelowal, Dinga.

The higher authorities suspended from service 13 jail employees, including a deputy and two assistant superintendents.

One of the inquiry officers said a riot like situation was experienced in the jail about 20 days before the incident when 85 condemned prisoners went on hunger strike in protest against the staff attitude. Supply of substandard food to condemned prisoners was said to be the main reason of the strike. The prisoners pelted stones and shoes at the staff for not supplying food according to the jail manual. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of higher authorities who ordered to shift the rioting prisoners to other jails.

He said the jail staff showed cowardliness as none of them had tried to overpower the fleeing prisoners.

The inquiry report further revealed that the control of the administration inside jail was lax.

Criticizing the higher authorities, one of the suspended jail employees told Dawn on condition of anonymity that one of the inquiry officers, Shaukat Feroz, being the jailer was, also responsible for the incident.