Charges after Punjab jailbreak

The police investigation has failed to recapture the escapees

Police in the Indian state of Punjab have charged 15 people with treason for their alleged role in helping four remand prisoners to escape in January.

The escapees included three men accused of the 1995 assassination of Punjab's Chief Minister, Beant Singh.

They made a dramatic escape by tunnelling their way out of Burail Jail in the state capital, Chandigarh.

Police say the tunnel was 108 feet long and ran from their cell to the outer perimeter wall of the prison complex.

Criminal conspiracy

After an investigation lasting 74 days, police have failed to recapture any of the escapees.

But in a detailed charge sheet, 15 people including six top jail officials are accused of treason and criminal conspiracy.

The BBC's Asit Jolly in Chandigarh says that the case will now be tried in a local court.

One of those on the run is Jagtar Singh Hawara, accused of planning the killing of Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was widely credited for his tough stance against separatist militants in Punjab.

Mr Hawara is alleged to be a member of the Sikh separatist movement Babbar Khalsa International, which has been designated as a terrorist organisation by Britain and America.