Tunnel vision

At this moment, Babbar Khalsa militants Jagtar Hawara, Jagtar Tara and Paramjit Bhaura must be laughing all the way to their safe havens. Accused of the crime of assassinating former Punjab chief minister, Beant Singh, they were arguably among Punjab8217;s most high profile detainees. Yet, the facile manner in which they made good their escape by digging a tunnel out of their cell, means one of three things 8212; or all of them: one, that the members of the security establishment were all fast asleep and have been in this state for at least the last four months; two, that the members of the security establishment were too intimidated to hear the shovels hitting the mud outside Barrack No 7 of Burail Jail; three, that someone within the security establishment actually expedited this unique excavation project.

Whatever the real story, their escape has serious consequences for the security of the state and the delivery of justice within it. It also brings back a whiff of a turbulent, militant-scarred history that Punjab has been struggling to cope with and overcome for the past several years. Ensuring justice is one of the foundational initiatives of this process. Tracking down alleged criminals, especially if they have international connections, is a tough enough job, but if the system cannot ensure their detention once they are nabbed, what is the point in the exercise? As this newspaper has reported, there have been at least four incidents that should have alerted the authorities to the dangerous plot that was being planned and the cunning determination of the men involved. For at least two years, there were intelligence reports of escape plans being worked out and even indications that a tunnel was being made.

This knowledge should have led to heightened vigilance and measures like the separation of the trio. Instead, they had the jail authorities eating out of their hands through a combination of threat, bullying and patronage. The authorities caved in so cravenly that the men were even allowed a cook, who as it turned out helped them cook their audacious exit. When militants and murderers turn into VIPs, it signals a failing state.