Widespread anti-government protests in Nepal have led to chaos across the country, including mass jailbreaks and violent clashes between inmates and security personnel
Unrest in Nepal continued on Thursday. File Pic/AFP
Amid the ongoing Nepal Gen Z protests, at least eight people have died in prison clashes as around 15,000 inmates have reportedly escaped from different jails amid the unrest in country, reported the PTI.
Widespread anti-government protests in Nepal have led to chaos across the country, including mass jailbreaks and violent clashes between inmates and security personnel.
Eight prisoners have died in such incidents since Tuesday, and over 15,000 inmates have reportedly escaped from more than 25 prisons, according to the PTI.
On Thursday morning, three inmates were killed and 13 others injured at the Ramechhap District Prison in Madhesh Province, according to police sources. The clash began after inmates tried to escape by causing an explosion using a gas cylinder. Security forces opened fire to bring the situation under control.
The injured prisoners were taken to Ramechhap District Hospital, the police said.
This incident adds to an earlier deadly clash at Naubasta Juvenile Correctional Home in Banke on Tuesday night, where five juvenile inmates were killed and four seriously injured. The altercation broke out when inmates allegedly attempted to seize weapons from security personnel.
The violent unrest, led primarily by youth protesters, began on 8 September and was sparked by the government’s ban on social media, which it claimed was to curb fake news. However, critics and rights groups condemned the move as censorship. The backlash forced Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday, prompting the Nepal Army to impose restrictions across multiple provinces due to the worsening law and order situation.
According to The Kathmandu Post, the jailbreaks started when protesters stormed prison facilities, set administrative buildings ablaze, and forced open gates, enabling mass escapes. By Wednesday evening, over 15,000 inmates were confirmed to have fled from 25 prisons, though only a small number have been re-arrested or returned voluntarily.
Some of the worst-hit facilities include -- Kathmandu Valley’s Central Jail, Sundhara - 3,300 escapees, Nakkhu Prison, Lalitpur - 1,400, Dillibazar Prison - 1,100, Jhumka Prison, Sunsari - 1,575, Banke District Prison - 436, Banke Juvenile Reform Centre - 122, Kaski District Prison, Gandaki - 773 (including 13 Indian nationals and 4 other foreigners). Other prisons include -- Chitwan (700), Kapilvastu (459), Kailali (612), Kanchanpur (478), Sindhuli (500), and Jaleshwar in Mahottari (575), as per the PTI.
The Department of Prison Management is still compiling data, but its Director General Lila Prasad Sharma confirmed that Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army are being deployed nationwide to regain control and re-arrest the escapees, the news agency reported.
“We are mobilising all available resources to re-arrest them as quickly as possible,” DG Sharma told The Kathmandu Post.
Meanwhile, India’s paramilitary force, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), intercepted 13 prisoners near the Bairganiya checkpoint as they tried to cross the border from Rautahat district in Nepal. The prisoners had broken out of Gaur Prison and were attempting to flee into India.
Out of 291 inmates in Gaur prison, 260 escaped, with only 31 recaptured by Nepal Police. The 13 caught by Indian forces will be returned to Nepal following legal procedures. The remaining 216 prisoners are still missing.
(with PTI inputs)
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