Nepal’s Prisons Overrun Amid Protests: 5 Juveniles Dead, 7,000+ Escape
Mass jailbreaks and deadly clashes rock Nepal’s prisons as unrest spirals.
Nepal’s prison system plunged into disarray as violent anti-government protests sparked deadly clashes and mass escapes across multiple facilities, resulting in the deaths of five juvenile inmates and the escape of over 7,000 prisoners. The unrest, which forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s resignation on September 9, led to a breakdown in law and order, prompting the Nepal Army to impose a nationwide curfew and restrictive orders on September 10.
At Naubasta Correctional Home in Banke’s Naubasta Regional Jail, a clash on September 9 left five juvenile inmates dead and four seriously injured after police opened fire to prevent inmates from seizing weapons, according to The Rising Nepal. Of the facility’s 761 inmates, 149 from the main prison and 76 from the juvenile home escaped.
MyRepublica reported that approximately 7,000 inmates fled from jails nationwide, including Dillibazar (1,100), Chitwan (700), Nakkhu (1,200), Jhumpka (1,575), Kanchanpur (450), Kailali (612), Jaleshwar (576), Kaski (773), Dang (124), Jumla (36), Solukhumbu (86), Gaur (260), and Bajhang (65).
In Sindhuligadhi, all 471 inmates, including 43 women, escaped after setting fire to the facility and breaking the main gate, per MyRepublica. Similarly, over 500 inmates fled Nawalparasi West District Prison after setting fires and demanding release, according to The Kathmandu Post. In Kathmandu’s Dillibazar Jail, locals apprehended an escaping prisoner and handed him over to the Nepal Army. In Jumla, 36 of 98 inmates escaped after attacking a warden and breaking the main gate, with 15 soldiers now securing the facility, said DSP Rabin Babu Regmi.
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The escapes, fueled by the chaos of Gen Z-led protests against corruption and a social media ban, have heightened public fear, with victims of the escaped convicts reportedly fleeing their homes. Prison chief Khemraj Bhusal noted that security personnel regained control in some facilities, but the widespread breaches underscore systemic vulnerabilities in Nepal’s overcrowded prisons.
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