When 43 LTTE militants escaped from Vellore Fort in 1995 after digging a 153-foot tunnel

The escape was a large, carefully planned breakout from a supposedly secure detention camp. Forty-three hardcore LTTE militants, including four women, escaped from the Vellore Fort special camp in August 1995. The incident mattered because the camp had five watchtowers and support from two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force.

The militants dug a 153-foot tunnel inside Tippu Mahal. It began at a bathroom and reached the moat. Its entry point was only 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet, while the exit measured 3 feet by 3 feet. The route was reportedly zigzag and was made with old, rusted pipes and improvised tools.

They escaped in batches, then split up and travelled by train, bus, and other routes. Many were captured later, but the breakout led to suspensions, a reward announcement, and a judicial inquiry.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, was a Sri Lankan Tamil outfit. The article identifies it as a militant organisation and says India banned it in 1991, after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. That history explains why its members were held under tight security in India.

The escapees were described as 43 hardcore LTTE militants, including four women. They were housed in a special camp inside Vellore Fort, specifically in Tippu Mahal. The camp had five watchtowers and two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force assisting the Tamil Nadu Police.

The article does not describe the legal process for placing each person there. It does show that the camp was a controlled detention facility for LTTE militants, and that their escape created a major security crisis. The government responded with suspensions, a reward, and a judicial inquiry.

The escapees did not remain together after leaving the fort. They organised themselves into groups and spread out, making a single search operation harder. The Hindu reported that one group reached Chennai by train, another travelled by bus, and the routes taken by other groups were initially unknown.

Two men stopped on Sivagnanam Road were linked to the escape. One swallowed a cyanide capsule and died, while the other fled on a nearby bicycle with a handbag. At Egmore Railway Station, police found 11 people waiting for a Madurai-bound train. Two swallowed cyanide capsules, and some fleeing men bit women constables.

These actions show a deliberate effort to avoid capture, not a single rush away from the fort. The police later caught many escapees, but the groups, disguises or unfamiliar accents, varied transport, and violence complicated the search.

The escape triggered immediate accountability measures. The Superintendent of Police of North Arcot-Ambedkar district, which then included Vellore, was suspended. Officers in charge of security at the camp were also suspended. These actions reflected the seriousness of militants leaving a heavily guarded facility.

The camp had five watchtowers and assistance from two Central Reserve Police Force companies. Even so, the militants dug a long tunnel without detection and escaped in stages. The government announced a ₹10,000 reward for information that could help locate them. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa convened senior officials to plan their recapture.

The government also ordered a judicial inquiry headed by Justice T.N. Singaravelu, a retired Madras High Court judge. The article records earlier escapes and unrest at the same camp, suggesting that security problems had a history. Many escapees were captured later, but the inquiry was intended to examine how the breakout occurred.

The article directly links the LTTE’s 1991 ban in India to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It identifies the LTTE as a Sri Lankan Tamil outfit and says the organisation was banned following that assassination. This changed how its members were treated inside India.

The militants involved in the Vellore escape were housed in a special camp in Vellore Fort. The facility had five watchtowers and support from two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force. Their detention therefore occurred within a high-security arrangement rather than an ordinary civilian setting.

The article does not explain the full legal order behind the ban or each detainee’s case. It does show its practical consequence: LTTE militants were held under strict security, and an escape by 43 of them became a national security crisis. The government suspended officials, offered a reward, and ordered an inquiry.

The capsules made arrest difficult because they could be swallowed quickly, before police could secure the suspects. The article describes cyanide capsules tied around the men’s necks. Once bitten, one man died almost instantly, while another later died after being stopped at Egmore Railway Station.

On Sivagnanam Road, a constable tried to inspect a handbag. One suspect bit his capsule and dropped dead, while his companion escaped with the bag. At Egmore, police approached 11 suspected escapees. Two men bit capsules; one died and the other was hospitalised.

This tactic removed the possibility of questioning or ordinary arrest in some cases. It also created confusion, giving companions a chance to run. Some fugitives attacked or bit women constables while fleeing. The incidents show how concealed, immediately usable poison complicated police efforts to capture the escapees alive.

A guarded detention facility can still be vulnerable from within. The Vellore camp had watchtowers, police, and Central Reserve Police Force support, yet prisoners secretly planned and completed a tunnel. The challenge was not simply controlling doors or walls. It was detecting preparation before the escape began.

The militants worked from a bathroom in Tippu Mahal, using old, rusted pipes and improvised tools. They created a 153-foot route to the moat, with a narrow entry and a larger exit. They then escaped in batches, organised into groups, and used different transport routes. Earlier escapes from the same camp showed that security difficulties were not new.

The immediate response included suspensions, a reward, and a judicial inquiry. Many militants were later captured, but the episode left questions about supervision, intelligence, construction checks, and response coordination. It demonstrates why secure custody requires constant attention inside the facility, not only guards around it.