5 juveniles dead in clashes in Nepal jail; 7,000 inmates escape amid unrest

At least five juvenile inmates died during a clash with security personnel at a jail in western Nepal, while more than 7,000 prisoners escaped from different jails across the country during the violent anti-government protests, according to media reports.

The massive anti-government demonstrations across Nepal that forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday led to a serious law and order situation across districts, prompting the Nepal Army on Wednesday to impose nationwide restrictive orders followed by a curfew.

Inmates took advantage of the protests and tried to escape from jails, resulting in clashes across several prison facilities since Tuesday.

"Five juvenile inmates died in a clash with security personnel at the Naubasta Correctional Home in Naubasta Regional Jail located in Baijnath Rural Municipality-3 of Banke on Tuesday night,” The Rising Nepal newspaper said.

The five juvenile inmates were killed and four were seriously injured when the police opened fire during a clash that broke out when inmates tried to take over the weapons of security personnel of the correctional home, the newspaper said, quoting the Naubasta Juvenile Correctional Home office.

According to authorities, 149 of the 585 inmates from the prison and 76 of the 176 detainees from the juvenile home escaped during the incident.

MyRepublica newspaper reported that around 7,000 inmates across the country have escaped from various prisons. Citing Home Ministry sources, the paper said that the escapes were reported from multiple facilities, including Dillibazar Jail (1,100), Chitwan (700), Nakkhu (1,200), Jhumpka in Sunsari (1,575), Kanchanpur (450), Kailali (612), Jaleshwar (576), Kaski (773), Dang (124), Jumla (36), Solukhumbu (86), Gaur (260), and Bajhang (65).

“The prisoners threatened security personnel while breaking out. With convicts serving sentences for various crimes now at large, fear has gripped the public. Many victims of these crimes have reportedly fled their homes, fearing reprisals,” it said. -- PTI