The situation was, however, brought under control after a large contingent of police reached the spot.

The incident occurred around 5 pm when the inmates are allowed to come out of their cell. According to police sources, the inmates started pelting stones at the security personnel.

Later, they set fire to a cell next to the office of the jail superintendent. The fire destroyed many important documents in the office.

The police sources claimed that the two inmates — Saroj Mullick and Rahul Mullica — who were going to be shifted to the Dum Dum Central jail from the Howrah jail were responsible for the episode.

According to the sources, they allegedly instigated the inmates to attack the security personnel at the jail. Some of the security personnel sustained injuries.

The top officials of the Howrah district administration — District Magistrate Khalil Ahmed, Superintendent of Police Howrah, Neeraj Kumar Singh and ADM administration Chandan Chayan Guha —reached the spot to take stock of the situation.

“I was informed by the jail administration that the inmates had turned violent. When I reached the spot, the inmates had broken two gates of the compound and were trying to break free the last gate,” he said.

A large number of policemen surrounded the jail premises and forced the inmates to surrender.

The inmates were taken to one of the wards while the counting of the inmates was on.

The district administration has ordered an inquiry in this regard.

It is also to be noted that last month an undertrial of a double murder case