Protect jailbirds

The government cannot abscond from its duties of upholding human rights amidst Covid-19.

Over the past few months, more than 200 inmates have been added to Nepal’s prison system every month. Official data shows that across the country, there were 24,525 jailbirds in the month of Shrawan and the number increased to 24,773 the following month. The increment, officials say, is because Nepal Police have arrested absconding criminals. The ever-increasing number of inmates has stretched the country’s prison infrastructure which can only accommodate 16,000 inmates. And given the pandemic and new admissions, keeping inmates safe in overcrowded prisons has become a challenge.